The trouble with boys

Poor Ian. He's such a challenge. He's the most loving little guy I've ever seen--he's sweet and snuggly. But he gets a twinkle in his eye sometimes that means trouble is on the way. Not that he's meaning to be "bad". He's just curious and mischevious--and that's a combination that spells trouble.

This week's episodes have pretty near done me in. The first incident occured at a store. Merry Grace was standing in the back of the buggy while Ian walked along beside me. At one point he climbed up on the side of the buggy, his little feet planted on the bars underneath, while he held onto the side. The next thing I knew it was like Newton's apple was falling all over again, as gravity took over. The buggy toppled over with Ian still hanging on. He was falling backwards, the buggy coming with him and Merry Grace still inside. I tried to stop it, but there was nothing I could do. The laws of physics had taken over. Ian landed square on his back, the buggy on top of him and Merry Grace, miraculously, still sitting inside the buggy. There were a few harried moments as we tried to sort everything out, but somehow everyone was okay. Of course it took another 15 minutes for my legs to stop shaking, but all in all we were fine.

The next incident also happened in a store. Cory and Elise had gone to Home Depot, while Ian, Merry Grace and I picked up some things from Wal-Mart. Ian had grabbed a gorilla balloon near the enterance and was having a blast slinging, dragging, throwing and punching it up and down the aisles. (Those little yellow weights at the bottom really add to the fun...) So at one point he had run down to the end of the aisle and I called him back, as we were going to head to another part of the store. He came running at full speed and at the last minute I realize he was going to collide with the buggy. It was like watching a train wreck. I saw it coming but was powerless to stop it. He did, indeed, hit the buggy head on--with such force the he was thrown back onto the ground. Once again, besides a bump or two, he was fine.

Those, in conjunction with another episode or two, have left me shaking in my boots at the thought of what that kid will do next. He really wears me out!!! But just today he was talking about how he had gotten footprints on the windshield by walking up it and I mentioned that the footprints were frustrating for me to see around while I was driving. On his own, he went out there with baby wipes and cleaned off the windshield. And that is why I love this kid.

Sharing is Caring

The other night I fixed corn on the cob for supper. The kids devoured it, even Merry Grace who I thought was going to gnaw through the cob. After we ate, we went outside to play and Merry Grace carried her cob out with her to munch on. Ever the one to share, she gave Max a little snack while she took a break. This is pretty typical. Whatever food she is eating, she will usually pass off a few bites to her four-legged buddy. This time it just seemed she was doing it somewhat unknowingly.
But why let it go to waste? A few doggy kisses on your corn never hurt anyone. =)

The Garden

This spring I planted my garden, as I've done to varying degrees each year. Its ranged from a tomato plant in a pot on the porch to a nicely tilled bed of weeds, to a full-fledged garden. This season's attempt appears the most promising yet. I've diligently tilled, planted, weeded, and watered my little garden and the beginnings of vegetables have appeared. There are quite a few green tomatoes, six or seven baby crookneck squashes, and sevearl othere veggies well on their way. I even have a row of herbs, which has been fun. Last night I was making fajitas and the kids and I went out the garden and gathered an herb cocktail to season the chicken and peppers. There are still many months to go. I can only hope it pans out as well as it appears right now.

Is this what you thought it would be like?

With Mother's Day being this past weekend, the topic of motherhood has been on my mind quite a bit. Ian has this lovely habit of stripping down completely nude when he needs to poopy. So he sits on the toilet, naked as a jaybird, and while he does his business he stuffs as much toilet paper as he can down the toilet. Unfortunately, this is not a single event, but a pattern. If the job is a quick one, we can avoid a clogged pipe. If not, well, you can imagine what happens. So on Saturday, I responded to the call of "MOOOOOOOMMY, I'm dooooooone." When I got to the bathroom, there was my little boy in nothing but his birthday suit, sitting on a virtual mountain of TP. Since we have had the conversation about why this isn't a good idea multiple times and had had several incidents where I was sure he had learned his lesson, I was extremely frustrated to find all the toilet paper on the roll filling up the toilet. Becuase playing in the toilet isn't high on my list of fun things to do, I quickly lifted Ian off the toilet and had him do the dirty work. Apparently, stuffing the toilet full is more fun than cleaning it out, so at one point I was holding Ian's arms, using them as, sort of, salad tongs, (sorry for the visual) to lift the paper out of the toilet and drop it into the trash can. Mama (who was down for the weekend) walked by in the midst of all this and said, "When you dreamed of being a Mother, is this what you imagined you'd be doing?" We had a good laugh over it, but it got me to thinking.

I had lots of lofty goals and ideals about what motherhood was going to be like for me. I pictured happy, lovely, healthy children; a clean house; peaceful, nutritious, enthralling dinners; enriching conversations with my husband, and educational moments with my children. I never imagined the many daily tasks for which there would be no obvious reward. Humanity will never praise me for having my three-year-old clean out the toilet by himself. Most days have some combination of sick or dirty children, at least one or two disagreements among the siblings, meals are often hot dogs (with ketchup being the vegetable of choice), the laundry (dirty and clean) piles up, as do the dishes. And if Cory and I have time at the end of the day to watch one episode of "The Newlywed Game" then we feel that we've had quality time together. =) As I type this, Ian is hard at work spitting down the air conditioning vents while Merry Grace looks on, and Elise is holed up in her room because Ian was aggravating her. No one is going to applaud most of the things that fill up my day.

Even having said that, I wouldn't trade this job for anything else in the world. The hugs from my kids, the ability to be there for all their milestones (even the ones that involve poop and other fun stuff), the thrill of seeing them grow and develop into these amazing little people. When they "get" something that I've been trying to explain to them or when they finally accomplish something they've been working on--it's wonderful and beautiful and fulfilling. Being able to rejoice with them in their many triumphs--for their triumphs are mine as well--is what makes me so humbled to be able to be a mom. Their mom. I love them with a ferocity I could never have imagined, in all my dreams of being a mother. It is the hardest, most demanding, challenging, all-encompassing job I've ever considered. There are days I need a pep talk and days I wonder what in the heck I'm doing. But even in all that, I can't imagine any place I'd rather be than wrapped up in a tight hug from one of my babies.

The Not-So-Happy Birthday Song

New Look

So I guess several of you have seen the new look, based on the comments. It's only been 2 1/2 years with the same layout, so I thought I would update. Heaven forbid, I should rush into things. =) Unfortunately, I'm not a computer whiz and formatting and HTML is right over my head. So there are some layout things I would play around with, were I to know how to do it. As it is, this is the best I can do. I didn't want to change it unless I found something I really loved. When I found this, I felt like it was my old format, only better! So there you go. I have two funny videos from Elise's birthday I want to post, as soon as they are finished uploading to google videos. We doing good, just busy. Take care, everyone!

Bathroom Humor...

...as only a boy can do. The other day at Wal-Mart, Ian and I were in the garden section, looking for vegetables for the garden. One minute I'm debating tomatoes, whether to go with Early Girls or Big Boys, the next minute I see Ian peeing down a drainage grate, next to the vegetable stand. I couldn't believe it! I should've known, though--that boy can & will pee any time, any place!

The next story is from the camping trip he and Cory went on this weekend. Apparently he was quite intrigued by the port-a-johns. Not only were there lots of them, but there were different colors. At first he would pee in the woods, but once he made a trip to the port-a-john, it was all over. He LOVED it! He kept wanting to try out the different colored ones, like there might be something different about them. I suspect someday that will change....

Another week

My goodness! Has another week come and gone already? I feel that I am on a wild circus ride. Life these days is busy, busy, busy. My calling is by far the most demanding I have ever experienced. A lot of that is due to the sheer number of sisters involved. There are just sooooooo many people. There are so many meetings, so many tasks to remember to see about, so many needs to be met. It can be a little--ok, quite--daunting and overwhelming. That being said, I can see Heavenly Father's hand in almost everything I do. I can literally feel myself being lifted up when I am tired, to be able to take care of what needs to be taken care of. Somehow I am able to meet demands that I never thought I could. I never want to lose that feeling. Speaking of all things Relief Society (these days I wonder if there is anything else), we had a fun activity last night. This month the YW have been paired up with RS sisters, with the RS being secret sisters to the YW. It has been super fun and I feel like it was a wonderful bonding activity for all involved. Last night was the culmination with everyone finding out who was who. Really fun.

Our AC messed up again. If any of you have followed my life at all, I am beginning to wonder if a broken AC is just the curse of my life. In running back over the years in my mind, we are approaching the 8th summer that Cory and I have been married. I can only recall one summer without any AC problems and I'm sure if I could remember things more clearly, there must have been something to happen that year. Could we possibly have had one summer without AC trouble? Anyway, it was 85 degrees in the house today--with windows open and fans blowing. Hopefully we will be on to cooler times soon. =) Thankfully it is only April.

We've had a field trip for Elise, her spring festival, t-ball games, piano lessons, RS meetings, and a few other odds and ends since I last wrote. But we're doing well. We're all reasonably healthy, definitely happy, and just hanging on for dear life. If you follow the link for "Barnett Bunch Pictures" on the side of the blog, you can find the latest pictures of the family. The last two albums are the most up-to-date.

Easter, better late than never

Easter completely snuck up on me this year. It's not like we didn't talk about it or think about or send things to Elise's school for the holiday. I guess I really thought the Easter bunny was going to deliver the stuff this year. Usually we do our big celebration on Saturday morning so we have more time, so we can spend Sunday doing more of the spiritual stuff, and so we can cut down on the sugar rush that the primary presidency has to deal with by getting the chocolate in on Saturday. But this year, all of a sudden it was Saturday evening and we still hadn't even gotten so much a a few pieces of candy. Cory went out for an emergency run that night, but after he got home I realized I had left a few important things off his list....like plastic eggs for one. Every year we hide eggs throughout the house or in the yard so that the kids can have an easter egg hunt provided by the Easter bunny, first thing in the morning. A little hard to do without eggs, though. But it was already late and we were scrambling, so we just went with what we had. Elise woke up early and walked into the living room where I was and sort of looked around, a little puzzled. Finally she asked, "Did the Easter Bunny hide our eggs?" Boy did I feel rotten. I tried to explain it away, and she accepted it, but she was obviously disappointed and I was feeling like a loser. =) So we just did things "better late than never". Monday afternoon brought a letter from the Easter Bunny, apologizing to the kids for leaving their eggs at the wrong house & asking their permission to leave eggs for them that night. The kids were really excited, left lettuce and water out for the Easter Bunny, hunted their eggs the next morning and just had a ball. So all was well and all was forgiven.

Bursting with *pride*

I went in last week for Elise's parent/teacher conference. Elise got fabulous comments from her teacher, so indulge me in a little "my child is the most wonderful person in the world" moment. =) Elise's reading, writing, and mathematical ability are well into the first grade range. Some of her strengths are vocabulary--using, understanding and being able to spell lots of words. She's also very good at sounding out words that she doesn't know how to spell. Patterns, sorting, and organization are other things she excels at. She's a great independent worker and is a good friend who is able to play and work with everyone in the class. She has super neat handwriting and her teachers use her work very often as examples to show the rest of the class what to do. She's just an all-around good kid who her teacher and classmates love.

Of course, I wasn't at all surprised to hear the good comments from her teacher. I see those kinds of things in Elise at home too. She's a wonderful big sister, often helping wash, dress, or play with Merry Grace. Ian, of course, adores her as well, and partly at least because she is good to include him in what she does and teach him things, too. She's so sweet and tenderhearted and sometimes prays that she will "always be a peacemaker". She's just a joy to have in our home and our family is happier when she is around. We are so blessed to have her as part of our family.

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!