It doesn't bode well

Sometimes the way the day starts out just doesn't bode well for the rest of the day. This morning was one of those times. It was cool and rainy here, so everyone slept in a little bit. I was finally woken only to realize that the little boy sleeping next to me had had an accident and I was soaking wet from about the waist to the knee, give or take a little. I jumped up and realized that I needed to let Max out. I walked straight to the backdoor, but I got there--only to step in a puddle of dog pee. Apparently our sleeping in had thrown Max off his schedule as well. So within the first five minutes of being awake I gotten into two instances of pee. You just wonder if maybe you should climb back into bed and just start over. =)

housekeeping

With Merry Grace being sick this week, housekeeping has pretty much gone to pot. I got an email today with a couple of quotes that describe perfectly how I'm feeling about whipping the house into shape.

"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first one being -- hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint. " -Erma Bombeck-

"I'm not going to vacuum until Sears makes one you can ride on." -Roseanne Barr-

And with that, wish me luck!

The Sick and Afflicted

That's what we've been this last week. Actually we've all been healthy except Merry Grace. She started getting sick last Wednesday, having diarrhea twice. That night she just didn't seem like herself, but slept well. Thursday she wasn't top notch, but nothing obvious as to why she didn't feel good. I took Elise to the dr. for a double ear infection (which she had) and while he was examining her Merry Grace threw up all over herself and me and the floor. What a mess. She threw up again in the dr.'s office and at least three more times in the car and once when we got home. Although by the end, there just wasn't much left to come up. She slept well again, but threw up first thing Friday morning. She went the rest of the day Friday without vomiting, as well as all day Saturday, but you could tell she still didn't feel good. She wasn't happy and playful and just wanted to be held. Then Sunday morning started off with her throwing up again two or three times and then several times that afternoon, and then a couple of times in the middle of the night. But so far she hasn't done it again since then. She actually started smiling and playing a little bit last night and some this morning, so I'm hoping she's on the mend. Its been a hard week for all of us. And yet, thankfully, no one else has gotten whatever horrible bug she had. I can't imagine all or a couple of the kids having that at the same time--or heaven forbid--one of us. I don't know how we would have taken care of everything. So we are certainly grateful for that and are hopeful that MG has seen the last of this yucky bug!

Funny Kids

As Elise was getting ready this morning, she said something funny. She had taken a shower and gotten dressed, but her hair was still wet, so I was going to wrap it in a towel while she ate breakfast. I started to reach for a white towel that was on her rocking chair, but she said, "Hey! That's not the towel I was using!" She was right, so I reached for the pink striped towel she'd used after her shower. Once again, Elise yelled, "Not that one! Its got boogers on it! I wiped my boogers on it!" For some reason it struck me as really, really funny. Thank goodness we caught it before she had to use the booger towel. =)

Accident Prone

Yesterday wasn't a good day for the Barnett kids. It started in the morning with Merry Grace hitting her cheek on Elise nightstand. She was sitting on Elise's bed with me while I was helping Elise get ready for school. She slipped and caught the corner of it and it left a pretty good bruise. Poor kid.

Then Ian was trying to jump up and get the helium balloon string when he fell and cut his forehead (right above his eyebrow) on a stool. It bled a lot. From the time he fell to the time he could walk the few feet over to me, the blood had run down his face, dripped down his arm and tummy, and was making droplets on the floor as he walked. It was a mess. I debated on whether to take him to get stitches, but in the end decided he would be ok. The trauma of "unnecessary" stitches might be worse than the wound itself. Its a pretty good cut, but he's going to be ok. =)

What a day!

odds and ends

Ian got a tick on him one day this week. While he was using the bathroom (in his-stark-naked-sitting-on-the-john-position), I heard him yell, "Mama! What is this?" Of course, my immediate thought is, "I don't even want to know..." I went in there to find him pointing at what, from a distance, appeared to be a freckle. But upon closer inspection I discovered it was a very small tick. I think it was crawling when he first saw it, but when i got there it was either trying to attach or already attached. We got it off quickly and disposed of it. Its a little worrisome because if it were a deer tick, they are the kind that carry lyme disease, so that gives me something extra to worry over. But then again, I'm pretty good at it, so why not?

Elise is playing t-ball. There are 9 girls on her team, 5 of which are in primary with her. Its so cute. All of the 5 are girly-girls, but they are having fun. And they love being together. It will be interesting to see how they do. The last time we did t-ball, it was more of an instructional thing. Once, Elise and her cousin Emmy were put on opposite teams, with Emmy batting and Elise between first and second base. When Emmy rounded first, she saw Elise standing there, stopped, and had a nice chat. All the while coaches were screaming, "Run!!!" which of course neither girl heard because they were too busy catching up on things. Cory is helping coach, so Elise loves that. This past weekend they got to try hitting the ball out of the pitching machine. Elise was the only one of the girls to be able to do it. Such a proud moment for all of us.

Merry Grace is as cute and sweet as ever. She did something funny tonight. She had on a skirt, but no bloomer, which turned out to be a problem. You see, she's a pro at diaper removal. So, unbeknownst to us, she took off her diaper, peed all over the floor and herself, and then let us know how disgusted she was with the whole situation. (I'm pretty sure she thought it was all our fault.) It was so silly, though. She's a charmer, though. That little smile could win anyone over.

can't do list

here is the list of things i would love to do right now, but just don't have the time.

1. read a good book
2. sew a dress (i have the pattern and the fabric). its for me and it would be cute.
3. plan and plant my garden. it needs tilling again and some fertilizer, too. i may need a few planters (meaning containers) for a couple of things.
4. remove my nail polish. it looks like it will just wear off, instead.
5. scrapbook a page or two in each of my kids books.
6. go for a bike ride
7. just sit on the porch for a while. just sit anywhere, actually...but especially outside. it is beautiful today. i did open this windows, but it seems that may be as close as i get today.
8. watch a couple of the shows i've recorded. i have a house i want to see and maybe an american idol...
9. plant some flowers. its still a little early for lots of things, but i might be able to put some in pots...if i had the time.
10. play the piano

so there you have. here is my list of things i NEED to do, but will probably only have time to do 25-50% of these.

1. laundry--and lots of it.
2. sweep and mop. that's 2, but they sort of go together.
3. vacuum
4. clean off the top of the TV cabinet
5. change all the sheets on the beds and wash them
6. clean off my sink
7. organize some clothes
8. dishes
9. organize & clean in the laundry room
10. straighten my cabinets. i have lots of new tupperware that need some order and control

the good news is, i have done several important things and accomplished a few other things to boot. i've done some good things. just don't look at my house. or the closets filled with things i would like to do.

in other news, enrichment was a success last night. a great activity, at least as far as i could see. good ideas, good companionship, good fun. i had my second meeting with the outgoing RS president. (i'm still calling her that b/c she's not going to be gone until i get a little more information out of her. =) we're still not done, but we're getting there. she is so patient and helpful. i will be forever grateful for her patience and help. there are sisters in our ward who are so good. one jumped in last night and vacuumed for us after the event. it was a little thing, but was so helpful and kind. especially b/c i know she is busy and has tons to do, but took time for that. and i got wind she did it for me. can there be anything kinder? everyone has been so supportive, that i have been truly overwhelmed. this time in a good way. =) i'm feeling more like i belong in this role, although when i introduce myself to a new sister as the new relief society it feel very foreign and sounds foreign to hear those words coming out of my mouth. all things in time, i guess.

update

I'm pretty sure I should be in bed right now, so instead of going off to do that, I'm going to take a minute to type on my blog!

What a couple of days its been! I think I'm been thrown into my new role with full force. Last night I got word that one of our elderly sisters had been taken to the intensive care unit at the hospital and then tonight I got the call that another one of our sister's house had burn down. No way to ease into things that way is there?

I feel like this week I will be immersed in Relief Society, but maybe by next week I can come up for air. I spent this morning visiting with the outgoing president to get things in order. And the week just continues on from there. Elise also had dance and t-ball today, so its made for quite the hectic day and night.

Well, I'm off to bed. I'm praying for a peaceful night's sleep. I'll let you know how that goes!

My New Calling

Well, its official now. I have a new calling. As of yesterday, I am the new Relief Society president. I have so many thoughts and feelings about it, that I'm at a complete loss for words. Let me just say that I am excited, scared, overwhelmed, terrified, and grateful all at the same time. I know it is the right thing, I just don't know why and I'm not sure how! So say a prayer for me. I'll need every one--and then some!

the mud puddle

a while back i posted pictures of ian jumping in a mud puddle, wearing his suit, after we had taken pictures to go on our christmas cards. nothing, however, can do the movie justice. and then just imagine that it went on for about 10 minutes! =) my favorite part is that he kept his pants legs pulled up. thank goodness! otherwise he could have made a real mess!

the tooth fairy

elise found her first loose teeth by accident a couple of months ago. on monday, we realized that one of them was ready to be pulled! what a big day! so after some wiggling and prepping and pep talking she was (almost) ready.
cory was quick and efficient and with one strong pull, the tooth was out and we were ready for the tooth fairy!!!
as you can see, the gum bled a little bit. this was what freaked elise out the most. as we were getting ready to pull the tooth out, cory made a comment like, "you need to have kleenex ready for the blood." elise had not even considered that this might be a possibility. but after being quite taken aback, she jumped back in and let cory pull out the tooth with only the slightest hesitation.
and here is her newly toothless grin. how cute is that? the tooth fairy came that night and left her a five dollar bill. she didn't realize how lucky she truly was that the tooth fairy only had the $5.00 bill and some odd coins on hand on such short notice. =)

the tooth fairy turned out not to be the coolest thing ever. apparently she doesn't have the same appeal that santa claus does, at least not around our house. the next night as i was tucking elise in she expressed some concern that the tooth fairy might try and sneak back into her room. max had to sleep on her bed for protection.

we also had a minor accident with the newly lost tooth. ian was really excited to hold the tooth and as soon as elise had her turn, he was enraptured with it. in our excitement and caring for elise, we didn't keep track of ian for a second. the next thing we knew, we were asking for the tooth back and ian said he had dropped it down the air conditioning vent. fortunately we scoured the kitchen floor and found it nearby. catastrophe averted!