Sick, Susan Salidor, and Six Months...

Mr. B's grandmother passed away last week, so Saturday was a long day of funeral, interment, luncheon, and extended time with extended family. The girls really rose to the occasion and were especially well-behaved, and it seemed like they were a genuine blessing and joy among the sorrow.

Unfortunately, Evie was coming down with something, and by the end of the day, it was obvious she was definitely sick: fever, glassy eyes, and the beginning of a cough. Sunday morning she said, "My throat feels funny, but it's not very funny to me."

Sadly, she had to miss the Susan Salidor concert we'd been looking forward to attending as a family on Sunday. I took Eloise to the concert at the library, and she had a blast! (If you're not familiar with Susan Salidor, check her out--she is great fun!) Before we left for the concert, Eloise told me, "Susan Salidor will be so happy to see me. She will say, 'Oh, Eloise, you look so pretty!'" I was thinking how sad it is that our middle child has absolutely no self esteem, but guess what? Susan actually approached Eloise after the concert, praised her for singing and dancing along the whole time, and told her she was "just the cutest thing ever." Oh, boy. (At least Eloise said "thank you"?)

Evie's fever continued to hover around 103 or so, even with ibuprofin, so I decided to take her to the doctor first thing Monday morning. As she dressed for the appointment, she came in while I was changing Audrey's diaper and said, "Mom, look at my legs: they're in really bad shape." I examined her bare legs, not sure what she meant...they looked okay to me. She bent her knees slightly, straightened them, and said, "See?". I didn't see, but I just said we'd have the doctor check it out.

Unfortunately, the doctor did not have any answers for us regarding the legs, throat, cough, or fever. She said it was probably a virus, and we were sent home to drink lots of fluids, rest, and watch movies. The poor, pathetic little thing broke my heart, laying there so listlessly.

I was so thankful when she woke up this morning and was almost fever-free. Of course, she is also very used to me waiting on her hand and foot, a fact that I quickly realized when she told me, "I think I will have an early lunch today, Mom. I'd like it now." She and Eloise have been making eachother (and their Mommy) pretty crazy all day. Oh, the whining. You can only imagine.

On a happier note, Audrey turned six months old two days ago! She is sitting up fairly well on her own now, and I think tooth #2 is on its way. Can you see it?

Not Me! Monday

1. I did not wear my workout clothes to bed in hopes that I would feel more motivated to go to the gym early in the morning if I was already dressed to do so. If I had worn them overnight, though, I never would have gone back to bed when my alarm went off before sunrise, instead of heading straight to the gym. Additionally, even if I had worn them overnight and skipped going to the gym in the morning, I totally didn't just wear them all day since I wasn't really going anywhere. Gross.
2. I was not secretly disappointed that Mr. B's grandmother's funeral was not going to be out of state as we originally had expected. I am not so desperate for a get-away that a funeral seemed like a good (albeit very sad) opportunity, and Mr. B did not express the same exact sentiment.
3. I did not eat an entire box of Reduced Fat Wheat Thins in two days. By myself.
4. I did not take a Tylenol PM at 4:00 am after trying, unsuccessfully, to fall asleep for three hours.
5. I also did not drink a can of Diet Coke for breakfast in hopes of countering the eventual effects of the Tylenol PM.
6. Remember this post, when I didn't let Evie play computer games so I could take a nap? I totally didn't do that this week, either.
7. I always keep our diaper bag well-stocked and ready for any situation, so I definitely did not leave Audrey with dried-out baby wipes and no change of clothes, and she surely didn't have a blow-out diaper while I was away. I have not been disqualified (yet another time!) for the "Mom of the Year" award...

Want to play, too? Join MckMama's Not Me! Monday blog carnival! It's great fun and kind of therapeutic to admit some of the silly things you may--or may not *wink, wink*--have done this week.

my week in numbers

1: Times I've posted on my blog. 2: Funerals I attended. 103: Evie's temperature right now (she's miserable!). 7: Nights I stayed up past midnight. 11: Loads of laundry I washed. 25: Years my sister Molly's been around, as of Wednesday. 47: Children's books I read. 17: Squares I completed in the baby afghan I'm making. 32: Squares (out of 88) left to complete in the baby afghan I'm making. 5: Weeks since the baby, for whom I am making the afghan, was born. Seems that, aside from the recognition of Molly's recent birthday and my girls' obvious love of good books, the numbers of my week are somewhat really discouraging! I vow right now to have a better week this week...hope yours is great, too!

an Eloise-ism

"Mom, my stomach is in my cheek because that's his bedroom."

Well, okay!

Not Me! Monday

I can't believe it's Monday again! Time really flies when you're scrambling to keep up with three girls and two grandparents and one husband having fun! And speaking of fun, it's time for Not Me! Monday.

1. This week, I did not check out four books from the library and begin reading all four. It would be crazy for me to start four new books in the same week, because a) I am already reading two other books, and b) I DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ, so I certainly did not intentionally add a bunch more things to the ever-growing "Things I Cannot Possibly Finish" list.
2. I did not purchase a new quilt for my bed, mainly because it was 75% off. I am not an impulse buyer, so I would never buy something just because it was a good deal. I am fully aware of the other quilt I bought for my bed (also on a great clearance, by the way) months ago that is sitting in my closet until I make time to paint my bedroom a color that will not clash with said great-deal quilt; I would not buy another quilt this week that will likely sit in the closet with the first one, until I come up with shams, bed skirt, etc. to match...
3. Knowing that I am not an impulse buyer, I am sure you will believe me when I say that I did not give in to my little girls' pleas for pink leopard-print-lined imitation crocs this week. The facts that they were $3.50, and that the girls had been extremely well-behaved all morning, did not persuade me to give in and purchase the hideous footwear. I definitely did not buy Eloise's pair three sizes too big because 7 was the smallest size available, and she really, really wanted them.
4. Mr. B and I did not go on our first date in months this week. Naturally, we make regular time for our relationship and would never go months between dates. If we had gone months between dates, though, we definitely would have done something very exciting and special, and not just hit Target and a couple of furniture stores after dinner and called it a night.

And what about you? What didn't you do this week? Hop on over to MckMama's blog and join the Not Me! Monday blog carnival!

huh?

My sister ran a post the other day called "What They're REALLY Saying..." which inspired me to write this post (which may very well be the first in a series of posts about misunderstood song lyrics):

Have you seen this movie? We haven't. Which is probably why, when we got this toy at McDonald's a couple of months ago (in one of my weak moments where "Happy Meal" translated "Happy Mom"), Evie was not familiar with the song it sang.

Real words: I like to move it, move it! I like to move it, move it!

Evie's words: Mr. Guy an' homen, homen! Mr. Guy an' homen, homen!

We tried to tell her what the guy (I think he's a raccoon? Or a lemur?) really sings, and she told us we were wrong. Hmm... Of course, she can offer no explanation of what "Mr Guy an' homen" actually means, but she's sure that's what he says.

*************

In other news, Audrey rolled from back to tummy twice this evening, both times when I was out of the room. I decided to sit by her, determined to watch it happen. I sat and sat and sat and sat and she just laughed at me. She's probably done it a bunch of times before, too, and just rolled back to her back before I've noticed...that stinker!

Audrey also started eating rice cereal yesterday! She loved it, and acted as if she'd been eating "solids" for months.

We had a very low-key Valentines day. Mr. B had to work, so the big girls and I made some cookies for him while he was gone. They loved the baking, and he loved the cookies, so it was a love-filled day!

From never lasting to everlasting

Tonight's Cubbies verse: "...I have loved thee with an everlasting love..." (Jeremiah 31:3 ) Evie's initial version: "...I have loved thee with a never lasting love..." Say 'em both out loud: they pretty much sound the same, right? It made me smile. I explained the actual verse, and what it means when God says He has loved us "with an everlasting love." Evie got it, and it felt good as we both reflected on the eternal quality of God's love. Later, I started thinking about the never lasting love again, though. Pretty much, that's me: the giver of a never-lasting love. Of course, I always love my husband, my kids, my family, my friends, in my mind. But my actions often prove the conditional quality of my love. Sometimes I demonstrate love when I feel like it: if I'm not too busy (unfortunately, I seem to be busy a lot, so my love tends to be "never lasting"). Sometimes I demonstrate love if I feel like it: if it seems "deserved" (and quite often, I don't deem people deserving, so again my love is "never lasting"). Sometimes I demonstrate love only after I've been shown love first (and sometimes people are much less than loving to me, so my love is also "never lasting"). I am called to love others with the love of Christ--the everlasting love with which He loves us. Tonight I am feeling challenged to put aside my never lasting love, and take up His everlasting love. I am struck by the opportunity I have to show Christ to the world, and saddened by how many times I have forsaken this opportunity. I am holding onto the lyrics of a song as a prayer: "Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with You." Specifically, I long to be filled with His love--His everlasting, unconditional love--so that nothing but His love flows out of me. Speaking of loving, do you know what happened fifteen years ago tonight? Mr. B asked me to be his girlfriend. He also asked me to the prom. I said "yes" to both. And do you know what happened ten years ago tonight? Mr. B asked me to marry him! I said "yes" then, too.

will you marry to me?

Since Valentine's Day is approaching and love is in the air, I thought this might be a good time to share a little tidbit Evie recently shared with me: Evie: Mom, I know who I'm going to marry to. [Yes, this girl is a preposition-dangling queen (or at least princess)!]

Me: You do? Who?

Evie: I'm going to marry to Tristan. The next time I see him, I'm going to ask him if he wants to marry to me.

Tristan (around 6 months?) and Evie (around 2 years), scowling about their forced western wear

Me: You're going to marry him the next time you see him??? Evie: No! I'm just going to ask him if he wants to marry to me. When we're grownups. When we're thirteen. Me: Ah. Thirteen. Evie: Yeah. I know where we're going to live, too. Me: You do? Where?

Tristan (around 1 year) and Evie (around 2 1/2 years) snackin' outside

Evie: In Minnesota. I mean, if we don't have kids we're going to live in Minnesota. If we do have kids, we're going to live in...where's that place where they lived in The Sound of Music? Me: Austria? Evie: Yeah. Austria. If we have kids, we're going to live in the house where Maria and the Captain and all those kids lived in Austria. We're going to need a big house if we have kids. Me: Hmmm. That was a big house. Evie: Yeah. Can I have a snack? I'm not sure if I should be worried or not about Evie proposing marriage. The first time we had a talk along these lines was when we were reading the Little House on the Prairie series, and the book talked about Laura Ingalls having a beau. Evie was curious about what "having a beau" meant, and after I explained, she told me she thought she knew who she was going to marry (or, of course, "marry to"): Peyton. Her cousin. Before I go on, you must know that when I was around Evie's age, I was pretty sure I was going to marry my cousin, Matt, and when I told my mom about it, I distinctly remember her laughing. She laughed pretty hard, in fact. I wasn't scarred for life or anything, but I really didn't like feeling ridiculous. So, when Evie told me she was going to marry her cousin, I forced myself to keep a straight face, and said something nondescript, like, "Oh. Yes, Peyton is a nice boy." "Yes," she replied, "I was going to marry to Laurel,"--Laurel is Peyton's sister, by the way--"but she is a girl, so I picked Peyton because he is a boy and I have to marry to a boy." At least she has that part figured out, right? Anyway, Tristan is a non-female, non-blood relation, so we're on the right track. He's also a sweet little boy and the son of a very dear and long-time friend, so that's a definite plus. But can't we wait a few years before we start thinking about these things???

Evie (4 1/2), Mr. B, and Tristan (3) at the beach

Not Me! Monday

Here we go again...it's time for Not Me! Monday, my opportunity to share some of the things I did not do this week (and certainly would never admit if I had done them!)

1. Upon returning home from Walmart this week, I did not neglect to bring in the bottle of fabric softener I'd just purchased, instead leaving it in the van for a day or two of freezing temperatures before realizing where it was. I am not now softening my laundry loads with Downy the consistency of that nasty vending machine slime...

2. Even if I had left the Downy in the van, I definitely did not leave the case of Diet Coke in the back of the van, too. The 24 pack was not reduced to a 19 pack due to five cans freezing and bursting (and I was not forced to be very thankful that the mess was contained to the unopened case and the paper grocery bags on which it was sitting!).
3. I did not accept a challenge from my sister, Molly, on Tuesday night to do at least 20 miles of cardio before Saturday. If I had accepted such a challenge, I would not have gone back to bed on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings instead of going to the gym, even if I had a sore throat. I did not have to admit to Molly that I did absolutely zero cardio since Tuesday morning.
4. I did not let Evie play games on my computer Thursday afternoon so I could try to take a little nap: I never would even think of using a "screen" as a babysitter.
5. I am pretty careful about how my kids look, especially when they go out of the house. I like their clothes to be clean and matching, and their hair combed. That said, you can be sure that I never let Eloise go over to her Aunt Sisi's house looking like this:

What about you? What didn't you do this week? Check out MckMama's blog carnival to see what she--and a whole host of others--didn't do, either!

Don't look at me, Dad!

We had a good laugh when Evie found this video on the computer the other day, and, although it is nearly five years old, I thought it was blog-worthy. Enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE: No children were harmed in the filming of this video; the distressed baby was picked up and given lots of love from her mommy promptly at the close of the recording.

A day in the life

In the past day (or so), we...

...threw a few more pitiful fits (this is almost the savage beast look...not quite). ...discovered how to use a spoon (if Mommy would put something on the spoon, it would be even more fun!).

...had fun at Awana!

...ate an extra-special lunch of sandwiches on white bread!

...reminded Mommy so many times why she loves being our mom.

Picture this...

I wish I could tell you about the huge fit Eloise threw yesterday. Recently, she has begun--on occasion, not all the time--to tell me "NO!" very forcefully when I ask her to do something. She knows she is not allowed to talk to me like this, but she's testing the boundaries. Yesterday she began the "NO!" thing, and I calmly repeated what I was asking her to do. Again, "NO!". This time, she pulled a bunch of her long blond hair over her face, as if to make the statement, "I am going to act like a savage beast AND look like a savage beast." I reminded her that she needed to say, "Yes, Mommy," with a smile. Result: another "NO!" and more hair over her face. This time I said, "What happens if you talk to me like that?" and she responded, somewhere from behind all that hair, "Spanking." I repeated my request once more. The hair was pushed away from her face to reveal a big, sweet smile, and she said, "Yes, Mommy," as if she had been compliant all along. I wish I could tell you about it, but it would best be told with a picture of the savage beast Eloise standing there obstinately with her hair over her face, and, alas, I have not learned to have my camera handy at all times. Had I kept the camera handy at all times, I also would be able to tell you about Evie and Eloise slowly walking around the upstairs with blankets over their heads and hands clasped together, humming "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" from The Sound of Music. They were supposed to be nuns, I think... And if I kept my camera handy at all times, I also would tell you about Miss Audrey's stunt yesterday. I set her in her bouncy seat in the kitchen and not more that three seconds later I glanced back at her and saw her sitting straight up. When I leaned her back into the seat, she immediately sat up again. Yikes! I think our bouncy seat days are ending!

Not Me! Monday

It's Not Me! Monday again: time to share with tons of people (or at least a few...) everything I did not do this week:

1. I did not just move baby Audrey out of her cradle in our room and into a crib this week. She is five months old, for Pete's sake, and should have been totally has been sleeping in her own room for a long time.
2. When straightening up the kitchen the other night, I definitely didn't throw away the Christmas cookies from the tin we had put together for our next door neighbor. Those cookies were delivered before the holidays just as they should have been: we did not keep putting it off due to inclement weather, because she lives right next door.
3. I am not planning to have the girls bake some Valentine cookies for the neighbor to make up for the fact she never got our Christmas cookies, because, of course, she, um, did.
4. Taking my three girls and my friend's twins out and about was a piece of cake. I did not panic about not having enough time to feed them all lunch between our library excursion and getting one of the girls to preschool, so I for sure did not run through the McDonald's drive-thru and feed the girls in the van down by the river, (Matt Foley, anyone?) to be sure we made it to preschool on time. I don't feed my kids McDonald's, and we don't eat in the van, so you know that never could have happened.

And what about you? Anything you didn't do this week? Hop on over to MckMama's blog to see what she and a whole host of others haven't been doing, and play along!

UPDATE: If you arrived here thru the blog carnival, please visit this week's Not Me! Monday (February 9); I'm pretty new at this and somehow linked to last week's with Mr. Linky.