Events worth mentioning

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PAPA TERRY!!

Congratulations to Kelsey & Nick on officially PURCHASING your FIRST new house today! May you have as many special memories of yours as we have of our first home!

A really nice night . . .

Tonight after work went much more smoothly than some nights, so it's definitely worth writing about. Tyler & I have been having a lot of discussions of how to spend more "quality" time with the kids in the evening after work, while still accomplishing all that needs to be done to maintain a household that cannot be avoided - supper, dishes, laundry, etc. So tonight, I decided to enlist the girls as my "helpers" when preparing dinner. I sent each of them for different items to get out of the cabinet or fridge. Then they helped me to butter the french bread before putting it in the oven. I think I buttered 20 pieces to their one, but they had fun and they felt a sense of accomplishment, because when we were eating it later, they kept saying, "This is the piece that I buttered, isn't it Mom?" They then helped me to set the table before dinner as well. It was so nice to have conversation with them, plus they weren't just running wild driving me crazy! While us girls prepared dinner, Tucker & Daddy showered as Tyler had been working out earlier in the evening. Tucker had been dinging Tyler to take a shower with him since yesterday evening, so Tyler thought this was a good opportunity to help keep him out of my hair while I cooked, plus make Tucker happy in the process - win, win!

Then at bath time, the girls sang songs with Dad. They chose Farmer n' the Dell and a Firetruck song that they learned at preschool as their main songs to sing tonight. We then brushed teeth and hair, and they picked out their Hannah Montana PJs for bed, which they put on themselves. It is so nice that they can select some of their own clothes and dress themselves - it is such a load off of Tyler & I (small blessings to be thankful for as tired parents). While the girls bathed, I had Tucker help me collect all of the dirty clothes & put them into the laundry basket to take downstairs. He loves to take things out of one basket & place them into another, so this was a perfect "chore" for him. It kept him busy & happy as a lark (and out of trouble) the entire time that the girls bathed.

Tucker chose the stories tonight - his two favorites right now - both by Eric Carle: The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Calipitter as the kids say it) & Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See. All three of them can recite the books to us, so really they read to Tyler & I instead of us reading to them, but they rarely miss a word! It's very cute. Then Daddy hit them all up for a kiss on the cheek before whisking them off to bed. They were exhausted, as they were all asleep within ten minutes of laying down tonight. Ah, a few minutes of quiet time for Tyler & I before we crash tonight - a rarity!

HONK!!

Tonight we went to see the play "HONK!". It is the story of The Ugly Duckling, which the girls had just read this past week in preschool. The play was put on by Pittsburg Community Theatre, and one of the main characters was the physician that delivered Tucker, Dr. Angela Shaw. The whole time that I have known her, I never realized what a talented performer she is. She has a beautiful voice! The kids had a really nice time, and the play was excellent enough that it kept the kids' attention for 3 solid hours. We will definitely be visiting this venue again!

Away with the sickness . . .

This past couple of weeks have been a tough ones on our family as far as health goes. Tucker started the sickness on Wednesday. On Thursday, the rest of us thought we had escaped it. Thursday went as planned. At 3:00 am on Friday morning (in the middle of the night), Rayleigh woke up with it. By 8:00 am, Molly was sick. Friday afternoon/evening, my Mom and I both came down with it.
Saturday was pretty much a recovery day for all of us. Sunday, Tyler woke up fine, so we thought that it was going to miss him. We went to Easter dinner - everyone was fine. It wasn't until 10:15 pm that Tyler got sick on Easter Sunday.
By Tuesday night, Sherry had it, and Terry didn't feel well on Wednesday. I got a call this Friday morning that Bev (our daycare provider) had gotten caught by the bug as well.
Needless to say, juggling the schedule has been a little hectic. We have all had our share of the bug, so we are hoping that the next few weeks will go a little better for anyone that has been within virus-reach of us the past week and a half!

Carpet . . .

Mom had to call me tonight to tell me that when they were driving the kids around after church while the Bunny was hiding eggs at our house, they were talking to the kids about various things. Mom asked Tucker about our new 4-wheeler. He informed her that "it was red, and that it was at our new building, but our new building is big, but it doesn't have any 'carpet' in it yet because it's too wet!" The cement trucks aren't able to get back to our building yet, so the floor is still just grass for now, until we can pour some concrete this summer. I suppose that he had heard us talking about the floor, and just presumed - CARPET! Too funny.

Easter Sunday

One of my very favorite childhood Easter memories is waking up at my Grandma & Grandpa Elbrader's house VERY early on Easter morning and getting to put on that new Easter dress and white dress shoes for the first time of the season. Grandma always went to a little country Catholic church, and every time that Mom and I went with her, everyone would crowd around after mass to admire "how much I'd grown since the last time they'd seen me" and commend Grandma on how nice it was that the family was home for Easter. I can remember being so excited that it meant that summer was almost here and warm weather was on the way. The grass was greening-up and ball season was just around the corner.

As Tyler and I sat in mass this morning, all three of our children dressed in their Easter Sunday best, with my parents and sister, I came to realize how I hope that we are building those same memories for our children. Traditions have always been such a big part of Tyler & I's lives that I hope that we can instill that into our children. I also realized how very fortunate I was to always have a NEW Easter dress (just as my kids always have), and how hard my parents worked to make sure that we always had ALL that we needed - and more. A whole flood of memories hit me as I sat there and realized how time had changed what point we are at in our lives. Time had not changed any of us or what we have always stood for, it has merely shifted each of us down one seat. My mom, now better known as "Grandma" is filling those shoes quite nicely, and I only hope and pray that I will be able to be as good of mother to my kids as she was to us as I take her place in the chain. Time seems to fly when you think of it in this sense!

Anyway . . . a few happy Easter thoughts that couldn't go unmentioned. After mass, the kids hunted Easter eggs that the Bunny had left at out house while we were away at church. Then our tradition continues with a trip to Grandma Bome & Papa Charlie's house for lunch and more family fun. It's always nice to see everyone and catch up on each other's lives. Next year, we will get to have another little one to celebrate with, as Kelsey & Nick's baby boy will be with us - and yet another branch! Praise God for blessing us with large families that always seem to keep growing! Tyler & I both feel so fortunate to be a part of such loving families who always welcome us with outstretched arms. The love never divides with addition of another member, but instead multiplies - just as we have always been taught.

Hope you all had as Happy & Blessed Easter as we did!

The Foreman . . .

Merely a few days ago, I was commenting on how Tyler was hoping for a 4-wheeler to put in that new building, and how I was a little less enthusiastic about the idea. Well, I guess we see who wears the pants around here (for today anyway)! He had been looking at brand new ones which was the source of my reservations about purchasing one, but he actually found a great deal on one in the Big Nickel - not that he was looking. I'm sure it just jumped on his desk at work, flipped right open to that page, and had acutally already circled itself in big, red marker.

At lunch, he "mentioned" the add, and when I showed the slightest bit of interest, he then continued on that he had already called about it, spoken to the man's wife about it, and that he happened to be free that afternoon for us to come "look"! It was a great deal - it's a 2003 Honda Foreman 4x4 with 45 (yes, that's 45) miles on it - only 20 hours on the engine. There's not a scratch on it. Basically, he got his new 4-wheeler, and I got the price break that I was hoping for. Funny how every once in a while, a compromise actually works out for us!

Another "normal" day . . .

6:00 am - alarm goes off. I promt Tyler to turn it off before it wakes the kids, jab him in the ribs, promt him again, then explain just hit the snooze button (he's still asleep as he hits it finally).



6:07 am - second alarm goes off. Refer to 6 am scenerio to understand how we make it to . . .



6:15 am - 1st alarm goes off from hitting snooze the first time. I'm finally awake enough to realize that it is Wednesday (work out day). At that point, I explain to Tyler that we don't have to wake up until 6:30 to have time to get ready, so we agree to reset the alarm for 6:40 at which time we vow to get out of our warm, cozy bed.



6:40 am - Alarm goes off. I'm sick of listening to that awful beep, beep, beep, beep, so I decide to roll out of bed. Normally I would be out of the shower and nearly dressed, but because it is a gym day, I decide just to wash my face, wet my hair & quick dry it straight, and throw on some gym clothes. Then I rounded up all of my clothes for the day, my shower stuff, and make-up, hair dryer, and all the fixin's for getting dressed for work at the gym. Finally packed & ready.



7:00 am - Wake everyone else up (except Tucker) - still not quite ready for him. Pick out the girls clothes & get them ready for Bev's.



7:15 am - Tucker wakes up and announces that he doesn't feel well. Blow it off, figuring that he just wants you to go downstairs right now and get his milk instead of in 5 minutes when you are headed down anyway.



7:20 am - Doing Molly's hair - Daddy is dressing Tucker. Tucker gets sick a little on the floor. I run in there - assess the scene - run for a dixie cup of water & a washcloth. We get him cleaned up. In the meantime, I get Tucker into some clean clothes & Tyler takes over hair duty. He can put in a ponytail with the best of 'em!



7:25 am - Now what? I come to the realization that I am not going to make my workout today, Tucker is not going to daycare today, I am not dressed for work yet, Tyler needs to be at work already, and the girls still need to get to Bev's somehow! Tyler gets into the shower.



7:26 am - I call in backup! Mom agreed that she could be over after she got done what she had to do for the day at work. I was supposed to be to work at 10:00, but decided that a little late was better than not at all.



7:50 am - The kids were ready, the dog was out and fed, Tyler was ready for work. Two vitamins & a blood pressure pill - and out the door they went. I was staying home with Tucker so that Tyler could get a jump on the day in case he needed to come home early. All I could think was . . . thank goodness for spring break or we would be throwing preschool into the mix.



8:00 am - It was just Tucker and I - one sick baby & one mommy that needed to be getting a shower (that on any normal day I would already have done, but not today, because I had to decide to go to the gym) and getting ready for work. I dedided that maybe Tucker could lay on the soft floor mats in the bathroom while I caught my shower, so just as I get my clothes off to get in, Tucker got sick all over the floor mat (of course). On to Plan B (whatever that was).

8:30 am - Still sitting in the rocking chair, comforting my sick 2-year-old, as all he wanted was held, and all I needed was to be getting dressed.

9:15 am - Carrie showed up for some backup as she was on spring break - just how she wanted to spend her day, I'm sure. A cruise would hold no candle to spending the day with your sick nephew! Off to the shower.

9:45 am - Run to Ron's to buy some Sprite as we have none in the pantry. Tucker cried because I had to leave.

9:55 am - Off to work (supposed to be there at 10 am and it takes 10 minutes to get there)

10:03 am - only 3 minutes late - not bad for the morning's events!

I worked until 7 pm and Mom came over to relieve Carrie around 10:30 am and stayed with Tucker all day. By noon, he had piped up and eaten some Chicken noodle soup, and he did puzzles & games with Grandma all afternoon.

7:15 pm - Home, finally. Cook dinner - bathtime - bedtime

9:15 pm - Sit down, finally!

Sick kids amaze me . . .

Through all of my experiences with children, one of the most amazing things to me is their resilience when they are sick. Any adult will lay on the couch all day, unable to move a muscle - even if it is just to muster up the strength to mosey into the kitchen for a bottle of water, not eat a morsel all day, and moan and complain as much as necessary to get the desired attention. Not children, however.

Tucker woke up this morning and came into the bathroom as usual and announced that he needed his customary glass of milk. Next he announced that his throat hurt, which led then to the fact that his tummy hurt. We had decided that he was just hungry because he didn't eat much dinner last night (convincing ourselves that that was why he was fine and didn't need to stay home from daycare). However, before he was finished getting dressed - he got sick to his stomach.

A quick switch of plans, and he was staying home. He rested on the couch until Carrie arrived about 45 minutes later, at which time he was feeling well enough to get off of the couch and touch everything that she carried through the door with her, and make sure to take inventory of all that did not belong to him. Then back to the couch for a little more "101 Dalmatians".

He rested for a short time, woke up and ATE lunch because he was hungry, and then Mom said that he played all afternoon with puzzles, word games, etc - sit down games. By the time I had made if home from work, he was jumping on the trampoline in the playroom and running around doing gymnastics in the living room. How do they do that? Less than 24 hours, and he's a wild man again! He was terribly sick that morning & you'd never know the difference from normal that night - I just don't get it.

I just wish that I could find that attitude & strength whenever I am feeling ill. It is so amazing how as adults we feel that it is our job to teach, whenever truth be known, we do just as much learning from children as they do from us!

Phase 1 Complete . . .

Yesterday, Southwest Builders began our building on the 16 acres of land that we bought last fall. It's very simple in that it doesn't have any electricity or water at this time. It's main function is just to house any toys that we may acquire in the future. Tyler is hoping that part of that collection will include a couple of 4-wheelers in the not-so-distant future, but we will see. For now, it's a pretty big building to hold 5 fishing poles and some tackle!!

They completed the whole building in TWO days, from leveling the ground to putting in the doors - DONE! It was crazy. They arrived when they said they would, and did a spectacular job. I would recommend them to anyone. We will have to wait until this "spring weather" is out of here before we can put the concrete flooring in, as it is too wet to get a truck across our land right now. I'm sure by July, that the ground will be cracking because it is so dry, and we will be praying for some rain. So for now, we will just be thankful for the moisture.

Our next step consists of picking out some house plans & start touring home shows. We're not looking to build for a few years, as least, so we should have plenty of time to find exactly what best fits our family. For now, this suits us perfectly.

Our Surprise Visitor

We had a surprise visitor the other night at our house. Matt, Amber, and her new baby, Maverick all stopped by to see us. Maverick is 3 weeks old in these pictures. He will be a month old on March 13. He is just perfect, and the kids ate him up! The girls can't wait to babysit sometime, and have asked every day since the visit when Sunday is, because we get to go see him again at Mom & Dad's to celebrate Matt's birthday.

Amber came into Matt's life when she was about 3 months pregnant, and has been a true joy for all of us. It has been nice to watch Matt be there for her during the pregnancy, and now help her with the baby. They seem great for one another! It is so wonderful to see Matthew as happy as he is right now. They have been a great team for Maverick, too. He is absolutely precious!

Tucker had to play "This little piggy . . ." with each of his feet, and then all three of the kids sang "You are my sunshine" to him. I wish I would have had the video camera going - it was just so sweet!