"Hey millionaires!  If you don't have trampoline floors and a giant slide that goes from your bed to a pool, then give me your money.  You're wasting it..."

-unknown

mother to mother (part 2 of the previous post)

Brenda struggled in church today.

Not with religion- I think she's good with God.  But with patience to sit  -just sit down and be calm.

We've been smart lately to dress her with leggings under her dress because one coping mechanism for her is to sit with legs in the air and head squished back in avoidance.  (She doesn't care if that means her bare legs and underwear are out for all to enjoy.)   I could tell the day would be a rough one when in the first few minutes those legs were up and her hair was beyond repair...

I had brought her into my class for a while to give her teachers a break.  She cried and yelped and refused to maintain any sort of composure.  Under my breath I was threatening all sorts of horrific results-

No trip to Grandma 'n Grandpa's house.  Legos are going in the garbage.  I'll make you watch Suzie eat all the popsicles...  

Oh she tried.  She took long breaths and stared off in the distance.  But one word or movement would throw her to the floor with an anxious shriek.

We walked and talked and she was eventually able to rejoin her class.  She was surprisingly tolerable the rest of the time, holding her water bottle and destroying the paper label.  Her teachers ask me what to do with her rollercoastering and I just give them a blank stare.  It's embarrassing to be the mother and all I got is a shoulder shrug...

After church a sweet lady approached me, after witnessing some of the commotion, and complimented my calmness and control.  I thanked her but had to laugh when I said "Oh, if  you only could hear the thoughts in my head!".

As parents of  ________  kids (Fill in the blank with handicapped, normal, tall, short, freckled, breathing, ...whatever) lets all just admit that we really don't know what we're doing.  (It can't be just me!)  That everyday we're just hoping that nobody figures out that we really don't know what we're doing.  But if we ALL just let it out, at the same time...

Here we go-

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!!!  
.
.
.
It's much less embarrassing when you're not standing alone (undressed) like in those dreams...

Now if you joined me in our most revealing proclamation then you're probably like me, sitting back with a smile.  -relieved in the equally-confused companionship.  This isn't a moment of frustration and weakness.  It's a moment of surrendering to reality.  A moment to laugh and cry over milk and cookies.  We can bond over the little daily triumphs that come unexpectedly between diapers and spilled juice.  We are re-enthused to take the lessons learned today and do better tomorrow.

We can RELAX.

If you didn't co-proclaim then you might be worried about me and my parenting.  ...And you must know what you're doing. 

Welcome to planet Earth, could you watch my kids while I nap?

Some days...

...Know what I mean?

Reason #458 why my brother will make a super-duper husband-

After hours and hours of dragging the two of them around Portland, making them pose and smile and sit and stand and walk and pose and smile some more...

He's still dancing.

Don't worry.  I'll show off the real pics soon enough...

the masked playwright

I'm a reasonable woman.  Therefore on Mothers Day morning I look about and think A cookie and maybe a nap will make today a special day.  Then at the end of the day I revel in a simple, no-expectation day and, like the farmer on Babe, I contentedly say, "That'll do pig.  That'll do".

Eventually I will, in a Mommy Dearest sort of way, expect Suzie to compensate for her older siblings and give me a mothers day that a woman of three pregnancies, three labors, and three -bazillion diapers, deserves.  ...With no wire hangers.

You think I'm kidding...

...

This is no complaint!  Just me, being reasonable.  And by sharing this I hope you get how special this was-

Brenda dragged me to the living room where I found a pillow to sit on and a stage all set.  (The green paper has pen lines to depict grass.  The blue is water.  And the flowers are flowers.)

A Mothers Day play!  Just for ME!!  

There was laughter, violence, surprise and kissing.  ...All the good stuff that a Mothers Day play ought to have.

Brenda titled the play- Animals of Christmas.  

OK well, a Christmas play on Mothers Day?

That'll do Brenda.  That'll do.

:)

Mothers Day Eve (aka- what I did yesterday)

My hiking adventures are soon going to turn into a spin-the-bottle game. 

But instead of taking place in a dark basement while your friend's parents are out (personally, never had the pleasure...) it'll be  standing outside my front door, letting fate/a glass bottle decide north, south, east or west.

Yesterday it was southeast.

With a few friends coaxed into my van I drove to Silver Creek Falls to enjoy, yet another, Oregon treat.

Oh BY GOLLY it was beautiful.

Everybody should be out hiking now and then.  It's chicken soup for the soul in the form of rocky paths and God-affirming sights. 

Throw in some goofy friends and it's pretty fun too...

Mike 'n me

We don't look like we've been married for 12 years huh?

12+ year-married people wouldn't listen to Weezer while blogging.   

DUH.

Our anniversary was months ago but my mom eventually kicked us out of our house so we could go 24 hours without diapers and time-outs.

scratch that

...This was our time out!

We challenged the raging wind on the hills overlooking Newport beach. 

...I forgot a hair tie.

Then we ate and ate and ate, saw The Avengers (thumbs UP) and ate some more...

The only bummers were a new-found fear of late-night cable tv and a missing hair tie.

I HIGHLY recommend handing kids off for vacationing with your honey.

As Winnie-the-Pooh always says- 

"Time for something sweet."

This one's for Becky...

One thing I did with my recently-visited cousin Becky is discuss blogging.  We cherish our family blogs and like to dabble in the many interesting blogs out in the blog-o-sphere.  We've both noticed a growing trend of fashion blogs where the blogger will post pictures of themselves in their daily outfits with info on how to dress accordingly.  I've seen a few cute ones, but the topic is not really on my radar.  ...We couldn't help but chuckle over the thought of using our family blogs to display our daily fashion statements.  Sweat pants, old t-shirts, ponytails...

Well Becky, today I'm giving it a go.  If my readership explodes then there's something to this fashion-blog phenomenon...

shirt- Goodwill, pants- Gap clearance, brown stain- Garret's Nutella-fingers, white stain- cleaning with bleach...

I am totally workin' that slob-mom attire right?

So cousin, what did you wear today???

A weekend without television

Friday:

A lovely 10-mile run with friend/neighbor Joanna where conversation overshadowed the uphills and fatigue.

Volunteered at the elementary school's family fun night.  I ran the kiddy basketball challenge.  ...I suppose I was the right person for that since compared to me they could feel like athletic superstars.

A women's workshop night at church with lessons on marriage, family recreation, organization and such.  (I learned that the world's largest hairball is in Oregon.  Can you guess what I'm doing this weekend???)

After the workshop going out to eat with lady friends.  By then I was a complete lump and I think my only contribution to the conversation was the melody to a song that was stuck in my head.  ...Being a lump was my fault, but the song?  that was Solana.

Saturday:

Our 2nd annual charity run for Mama Baby Haiti was a small but smashing success!  We held it on my country roads and with the delightful weather we all left happy and looking forward to next year.

Cleaned the house like maniacs so later that day I could be like  OH MY.  The place is a mess!  Please excuse the shiny floors and glistening windows...

My cousin Becky and her family arrived in the evening.  We tried oh so hard to have a lively evening reunion but our exhaustion pummeled us all down to an early bedtime.   

Sunday:

I fumbled my way through church with red-exhausted eyes and a gash on my forehead.  (Didn't sleep well even with the early bedtime and the wound was from me being stupid Saturday morning...)

Spent time with cousins eating cake and exploring the bridge down the street and napping and jabbering and refereeing lively hide-and-seek games.  If Becky would just move up here (with her family of course) then I could help her set some goals for running and she could get me reading more.  That's just a win-win right cuz?

----------------- 

Another agenda item to add to my list of things to do when I'm rich is to hire a personal photographer.  My own photo journalist that tracks my family through our adventures?  eh??  Then maybe I'd have more pictures worth showing...

Suzie and cousin Allison cooperating their way through teeth-brushing time

And don't worry about the lost TV time.  I'll catch up...

No Fences

(an AWESOME Garth Brooks album)

(It applies.  ...kinda.)

Our doorbell rang at about 4:30 on Tuesday.  It was the boy from down the road.  "Brenda's sister is down there." He said in broken English while pointing down the street.  "Oh, hi Ulysses!  Umm, Suzie is right here."  ..."No, umm, Brenda's sister is over there."  I stepped out the door and saw Garret being led towards the house by the neighbor.  "OH!  You meant Brenda's brother! OH!!"

Dang it.

Somehow the gate in the backyard had been left open and Garret was discovered bouncing down the street bare-legged and hyper.  (How fun for him!)  We found his pants and I profusely thanked my neighbor who, over the years, has become used to the occasional Brenda or Garret barging in after a secret escape.

Thank goodness this sort of thing doesn't happen very often.  I get really shaken.  The "what-ifs" haunt me in a cruel way.

Not only that, but my pride takes a hit.  What a terrible mom I must look like...  (At least the shallow side of me was pleased since I was actually dressed and groomed that afternoon.  I mean, if you're going to neglect your kids you might as well look pretty for when the neighbors come knocking, right?)

I have to restrain myself from shouting out defensive excuses-

HEY, I GOT HANDICAPPED KIDS!

...I'M BURIED IN LAUNDRY!

...

THIS LEGO STARSHIP ISN'T GOING TO BUILD ITSELF!!!


I just try to be gracious to our kind neighbors.  I may owe them some cookies... 

But the funny part of this particular story is how the very next day I was startled when stepping outside and there's 3 beautiful horses grazing in the field just about 20 feet away.  What an uproar!  Suzie and Brenda turned into flubber as they bounced around the yard exclaiming "HORSIES!  HORSIES!  HORSIES!  HORSIES!!". 

Apparently, half a mile down the road, they had escaped their field and were on a joy ride.  (Totally pant-less.)  The owners were able to collect their animals and I got a nice chuckle thinking Yeah, no worries.  It happens to all of us...