An idea for a story...

Once upon a time there was a little boy who loved to run through the woods that lay behind his house. He would jump and spin and climb, and sometimes he would even hug the trees because he loved them all so much. He would tell them stories about adventures he wanted to have, and villains he wanted to fight. But most of all he loved to lie down at the base of one special tree and dream of magical things that could only exists in books. His name was Jacob.

A Toilet by Any Other Name...

Would still be really dirty.

Have you ever wondered what a toddler really thinks about the bathroom before they're potty trained? Well I don't really know the answer to that, because every toddler is different, but I'm pretty sure my twin toddlers think it's a water park.

Today I found Maggie sitting in the sink while her sister Ellie scooped water out of the toilet. They were having a blast! I suppose if you wanted to name their "rides" you might call Maggie's "The Waterfall", or "River Run". And I suppose Ellie's might be called "The swirling Vertex of Farewell", or "Going Down Stream".

I guess most water parks are a bit germ infested, but I kinda feel like this one might take the cake.

Bon Voyage...

The HMS Kilcoyne has set sail on her 6th voyage!

Due in Port, May 2010.

The End is Near...

Time is something that we all must fight to use wisely. With five kids, two of whom are being home schooled, three of which are still in diapers (yes, Jon is still in diapers), and house upkeep, I have found no time to blog. It is truly a sad thing because I discovered while blogging that I really love to write. So while life continues on, my blog for now will not. As for writing, don't worry, there is always a story to tell...

Piercings Come, And Piercings Go...

While trying to clean Katie's pierced ears, I was unable to reinsert one of her earrings. She freaked and wouldn't let me get close to her again. She decided that she was done with the earring thing. So with a little patience and persistence and I eventually was able to remove the other side.

At least she matches.

Tina...

Joy, joy, joy:)

My friend Tina came over today, and risked death and dismemberment by way of dog and cat dander:)

Thank you Tina!!!!

When You Don't Have a Leg To Stand On...

Stand on the other one!

Well, I still have one leg to stand on at least. Monday night while at Karate class, I managed to twist my ankle. Not fun I can assure you. But, never having been good at backing down, I continued to finish the class hopping on one foot. The instructor commenting on the fact that I seemed to be smiling an awful lot for someone in pain. Yep, probably not the wisest course of action. In any case, I now have a very sore and swollen ankle, and an incredibly messy house. It's amazing how hard it is to get things done when all you can do is hobble around the house.

Oh, and no more Karate for at least a week. lol

Where, Oh Where, Has The Time Gone...

Well I just haven't had the time to write. I've been thinking about writing, but running after 5 kids just seems to take all my time. This last week the kids were sick again. Between church and taekwondo you'd think the kids would have gotten swine flu at least once. lol
I will say that with 5 kids it does put you back quite a bit when they get sick. It's all work and no play, and then as soon as they're better it's more work because then you have to catch up and sanitize. So one week turns into two and two into three.
In any case, we just finished school this week, while all the other Arizonian kids finished in May. But that is the nice thing about homeschooling, you just keep going until you're done. I am hoping to get a better and stronger start this coming year so that I can be prepared for when the sickies arrive.
Alas, my realistic side believes there is no hope of finishing on time, and that I should just accept that we will always be a bit behind trying to catch up.
So I think we will just ignore that side and stick with the optimistic side and smile sweetly, thinking about how wonderful it will be this next school year.

:)

12 Years, And Counting...

Today I earned my red belt.
"um...what"? you say.
No I didn't go shopping and get a really great deal, although I should think I should have earned some great trophy for my frugality by now. And I suppose, if one where to be true in what one says, than I really earned it 12 years ago. In any case, to get to the point, Joe talked me into taking Taekwondo lessons too. After 12 years out, yep, I still got it. After a few weeks of proving to myself and the instructors that I can tow the line, they are giving the red belt back to me. Well, a new one since I don't even know what happened to the last one. Now I'm not saying I'm in great shape, far from it actually. 5 kids tends to do that to a person. But for some strange reason, my brain seems to remember how to tell my body things it's forgotten how to do. This of course resulted in some really sore muscles, but some sacrifices must be made for the greater good. So perhaps, with some hard work and a bit of providence, I shall once and for all earn that ever so elusive black belt.

Kristen Bons Photography...

The results of 6+ hours of shopping, several diaper changes, un-napped cranky babies, a wonderful friend who happens to be an amazing photographer, and a grandmother with a determined plan to have all her grandkids photographed....




These are just three of my favorites...







Thank you Nana, and thank you Kristen!

They're beautiful.

You Look Like You Need a Vacation...

Vacation - A general leave of absence from a regular occupation for rest or recreation.



Sounds good right?



Yeah, exept for the part where you take yourself with you...

The Many Faces of Eddie...

"Hey guys, this is a real balloon, I don't want any trouble!"

"1+2+1+...."
"Yo, what'z up?" "Ha ha ha, that's so funny"

"...And that's how it happened, really"

My Lovely Katie...

As soft as Lace,

She moves with Grace

Her light brown Eyes,

Can seem so Wise
Her smile Sweet,
A special Treat

Her lovely Face,
A fresh Embrace

A little Lady,

My daughter Katie

It's a Jon Kind of Life...

Who dunnit?

Word of advice: When you just need a few Z's, don't lie down in a room with curious 1 year olds...

"I know I can gnaw my way out eventually"

Why do they always ask you a question right after you just put food in your mouth?

You know, a little soap and water could fix that right up...

Wee Folk, Warm Weather, and Watermelon...

The Family that Trains Together, Stays Together...

Tae Kwon Do, watch out! Here comes the Kilcoynes!!!

By Request, Pictures of My New Car...

I keep the one single seat in the back row folded into the floor because I don't need it and it allows the boys to climb in through the back:) And yes that thing in the roof is a DVD player, which makes the kids endlessly happy. lol Look at all that truck space! That would be a double stroller in there with a single umbrella stroller too! And I can still buy groceries!!! Wow!

Katie sits in the middle between the twins. She loves it because she can be in charge of them better that way. (she loves being the "little Mommy")

The Van itself. Better in person I assure you:)

My Buddy And Me...

Come On Down, You've Just Won a New Car!...

Ok, maybe not, but that is what it feels like.

Background...

So here's the deal, Joe and I wanted to replace his commuter car (mazda 626, 5 seats) with something that could fit our whole family (7-8 seats). He has a work truck which he uses most of the time, and only needs an around town car once in a while. We were thinking that if our Sienna ever broke down and needed to be fixed it would be nice to have another vehicle the fits us all.

On with the story...(prices and fees have been changed to protect the Innocent)

Now is a good time to buy a car, if you need one and can afford one. The dealers are getting desperate to sell, sell, sell! And they will make you a good deal if you work for it. I started by looking online at different dealer's web sites. I then called, yes you heard me, I called the dealerships. I got them to quote and promise things over the phone. Now I will tell you now that the salesmen will tell you things over the phone to get you to drive on in, thinking that once you're there, you will buy, buy, buy! They are sure that you will make an impromptu decision and pay more than you want because you will fall in love with such said car and will have to have it. Don't play their game! Walk out! Example..

You tell all the salesmen that you want payments of $100 a month. Now lets say that one salesman promised over the phone that he could get your payments under $150 a month, but in person wants you to pay $185 a month because that's the best his manager can do....but because he feels sooo bad about telling you $150 over the phone, he will just scratch that and write $149. Sounds good, right? He did what he promised right? Good cop, bad cop. Walk away!

Now that the salesman knows you will not "fall in love" with his car, he will be more reasonable in the future. Let me remind you that during this, you are talking with other salesmen too. There are so many cars out there, that one will end up in your price range if you wait for it. That being said don't pass up a good deal when it hits you over the head...

Lets say, that after a few days that salesman calls you back and says that he has a car that will meet your needs perfectly, and he can get you in it for $115 a month. Hmm...you think...sounds good, but can I trust him now? No, but go anyway. He now knows that you won't be bullied, and if he wants to sell you a car he will have to meet you at your terms. Can you trust him? No, he's trying to make money, but he can trust you and he knows you'll walk away. Don't be bullied! They will try to make you feel guilty about not paying more! Guilt is a powerful selling tool, don't let them use it. They sell cars, people buy cars, it's a rotating door everyday. If you don't buy it, someone else will. Good for them, they can pay the high monthly premiums! Remember that car dealerships are there to "make money", they won't sell their cars for less then they paid, and they won't sell for no profit.

In any case, after much car shopping (and a story similar to this one, but much longer), we bought a car....(drum roll please)

A used Honda Odyssey! It's wonderful!

And for those of you that are wondering if we got a good deal?...let me just say that we got about 5 thousand off blue book price, and 10 years off our life span. lol thank goodness this only has to happen once every few years!

Well, What Can I Say...

...I think "stomach flu" is about right.

This weekend, after some crazy car shopping (I'll tell all later), we (as in Joe, Jon, Ellie, Maggie, and I) came down with something dreadful. I can't tell you how blessed I am to have such wonderfully helpful older children. Eddie and Katie saved the day! They took good care of us sickies and managed not to get sick themselves. We are all feeling better today, although I think I'm the only one who doesn't want to take a nap!

A Comical Reading Assignment...

Let me just start by saying that we tried the Sunday paper for a few months because we wanted the coupons that came with it. An unknown side effect of receiving the paper however was that Eddie and Katie loved reading the comics. This being said, we have since discontinued the paper, not due to the comic reading but because the coupon vs. cost ratio was not good enough to meet our needs.

On to the comical part... I am now begging my mother to save and send me all of her comics because the kids can't seem to get enough of them! I guess I just figure that if they're that excited about "reading" the comics why should I stand in the way? Who would have thought that the daily comics could be school reading assignments.

Whatever you do, don't tell them they're learning!

Shhhhh......

An Old Wives Tale...

Katie announces to mommy, "You're still young".

Eddie then asks Katie, "Like a baby"?

Katie answers, "No, just a little young. Nana is old, very very very old."

Eddie then replies, "You're old when you're in your 50's, so Nana is old, but not very old."

The Simplicity of an Obvious Answer...

Found:

1 bit-off marker tip,
1 marker without tip,
1 purple colored mouth,
2 purple colored hands,
3 purple scribbles on the floor

Now I know it looks like one of the kids bit off the marker tip and colored the floor with it,...


But what really happened?

Easter Pictures...

Eddie

Katie

Jon

Ellie

Maggie

Three Stories to "Floor" You With...

1. Last night Jon once again discovered the joys of nail polish, when he painted the town red. Well, my bedroom anyway. The remaining reminders of that brush with fate are red drops and smears on my bathroom carpet.

2. While in the other room this morning, I heard this odd hissing sound. Hoping it wasn't a pipe, I rushed into the kitchen to find Jon greasing the floor with Pam oil spray. I guess he just wanted the floor to really shine for mommy, such a sweet boy.

3. Have you ever used Red Wine Vinegar in your cooking? I haven't yet, but Jon did season the carpet with it this morning. The sweet and tangy bouquet still fills my house now.

Now if I could just cook on the floor, Jon could be my in-house chef.

Justice, or Getting What You Deserve...

Anyone who has talked to my mother has probably heard the story about the time David (my brother) and I used nail polish to paint my mother's bedroom. It is quite an amusing tale, so if you haven't heard it yet, you should. But not today, and not on this post.

I suppose most of you have at one time or another also heard someone say something like, "just wait until you have kids..." or "I hope you have one just like you..."

These comments are usually said after some sort of crazy childhood behavior is witnessed.

Returning to my first paragraph, about the nail polish story...

My just desserts arrived this morning, when Jon my cute and ever busy toddler painted my kitchen with nail polish.

Now I think I got off easy because most everything in the kitchen is cleanable, but I'm pretty sure it still counts.

So here's to you mom, the sins of the daughter have now been past on to the son.

Ok, That's Just Gross...

So I'm sure you can imagine that with 5 kids to get ready every morning, there is a time and place for everything. Kids have to have breakfast, use the bathroom or get their diapers changed, brush their teeth and get dressed.

Now it just so happened that this morning a delivery arrived that I had to look over and sign for. This meant that the above list was set back between breakfast and the diaper changes. What ended up happening is that after changing two diapers, Jon's and Ellie's, I was about to start Maggie's when I noticed something strange about her nightie pants. She looked like she was storing a vast treasure in her pants at her ankle. I knew what this meant...her diaper had become unattached and had slid down her leg to her ankle. Well not the best thing to find, but it could be worse right? She could be dirty too... Yeah, do you see where I'm going with this? I gingerly removed her pants noting that there was a brown discoloration to them, and griped her other ankle (the one her diaper avoided) only to get a hand full of something quite squishy. Evidently, her diaper hadn't wanted anything to do with the mess and had gone in quite the opposite direction. So what I ended up with was one sopping wet diaper on one leg, and all the rest on the other.

"Maggie,...can you say gross"?

I love this job!

Our Solution v.s. Theirs...

Men and women are diffent. Yes, yes, I know that you all know that already. But for fun I thought I would give an example of how...

Problem: The vacuum cord has been chewed through by the dog.

Women's solution: Frown, whine, then buy a new vacuum. After all, the floor needs to be cleaned.

Men's solution: "splice" (whatever that means) the cord back together, or buy a new cord section from a home improvement store and splice that onto the old cord, or buy a new cord altogether and attach or splice on to the vacuum. Besides, why do you need to clean the floor? It didn't look that dirty to me.

Now I am all for saving money, but "splice"? What is that? Is it safe? Will the kids electrocute themselves later?

Oh, well. We have now ordered a replacement cord that should arrive in a week or so.

Ah, Dyson, I knew it Well....

Do you have a Dyson vacuum? I do. And oh how I love that yellow bundle of cleaning power.
I bought it when Joe and I got married three years ago, and it has been a wonderful companion since then. Imagine if I had to pick crumbs out of the carpet on my hands and knees....or if I had to use a broom for the kitchen floor....but no, my Dyson does it for me. Oh what a friend it has been. Sacrificing on my behalf to secure a cleaner environment. Sniff...

The new puppy, Luc, chewed through the cord last night....Sniff....

A Private Moment...

I have no interest in debating personal opinions, medical science, or biblical truths on this blog. I just want to enjoy writing funny little tidbits about my life. Unfortunately, I have hit a sensitive "spot" with some of the male population with one of my blog posts. I have since "removed" that blog and the offence that it incurred. People who do not like what I write are welcome not to read it.

Ah, but I digress....

I am going to be making my blog private. I would like to invite those who would like to continue to read my blog to email me at anorythia@gmail.com

This is an open invitation to those who know me, and who actually care about my funny little stories. If you happened upon my blog or your a friend of a friend, and you just enjoy reading it, you are also welcome. If you are some stranger searching the Internet looking for someone to harass, go find someone else to bother. Or better yet, get a job.

Twice as Nice, or Double Jeopardy...

Another missing earring,







Another backing found in the kid zone,







Another afternoon spent searching and vacuuming,







Another chance to pick through the vacuum bag,







But...







One earring found!

Guess no one's getting x-rayed for this one.

Why Did the Chickens Cross the Road...

I was wondering this, and giggling a bit to myself, a few days ago when I happened upon three chickens crossing the road.

I had stopped at a four way stop and as I was looking left and right to see if it was my turn, I noticed three chickens walking up to the road. Now, as I continued straight though the stop (when it was my turn of course), I again looked over toward the chickens to see that they had indeed begun their historic crossing of the road. Do to the fact that I have things in my life to do other than watching farm foul frolic, I continued on my way and did not see if their perilous sojourn finished with the other side of the road, or road kill.

So why did the chickens cross the road? One can only assume from this sorry tale, that the oldest answer rings truest.

That's About the Size of It...

The twins just keep getting bigger. I realized that they were starting to look like stuffed sausages in their 12-18 month clothes, so I changed out their wardrobe to size 24 months/2 toddler.
So I would like to send a big

THANK YOU!!!!

to Esther who graciously donated their wardrobe!

Ah,...But Could He Climb Mt. Everest...

A little background...
In preparation of the twins leaving their cribs (months away, but I always like to plan ahead), I changed all the bedding arrangements. I turned Eddie and Jon's twin beds into bunk beds (they're cool that way), and turned the ladder side to the wall since we aren't planning on using the top bunk yet. And I moved Katie's (formerly Eddie's) bunk bed into the boys room for Jon (this one turns upside down and becomes a regular twin close to the floor). I then moved our spare full size bed into the girls room because Katie has this grand wish to share a bed with her sisters (we'll see how long that lasts).

Ok, now that you know what kind of beds are in each room...
Somehow, Jon has scaled the wooden bunk bed in the boys room. I have yet to see how he does this since the ladder is pressed against the wall, but I have caught him up there twice now. He was so proud of himself, that I'm sure it came as quite a shock to get in trouble for it. He was grinning from ear to ear, well until I took him down that is.

Quiz 8...

"Save the clock tower"! is a line from what movie?


Answer: Back to the Future

Cloth Diapers...Not Just For Your Average Baby...

Joe and I kept finding "wet" diapers in the clean diaper bucket. Which as you can imagine did not please either of us. What we though was happening was that the kids in their hurry to clean up the kid zone were mistakenly putting them in the wrong bucket.

We were wrong.

The cats had found a "new" litter box.

Whatever Happened to Listening...

Katie at church yesterday...."mommy look,..fat mommy! See?"

As appalling as it is, I am proud of my little girl who just learned how to write "fat mommy" on her doodle paper.

Oh, and she drew a lovely picture to go with it...

A Temporal Epiphany...

Ok, so do you ever find that the amount of things you have to get done compared to the time you have in your day don't seem to line up? This has been my problem for a while now, and up until now the more I stressed about what I wasn't getting done, the less I seemed to get done! Now I have to say that I try to live in a "worry-free zone", but time management seems to be that thorn in my flesh that I can never quite get over. As of Sunday though, with the Holy Spirit leading the way, I have started to worry less about it.
It all started with reading an article in a magazine that my mother sent me. Someone was writing about my life! Well, ok, it wasn't MY life, but it could have been! Everything she said seemed to make sense. Now I would like to say that many people including my mother have over time probably said the exact same things, but who listens to their mother anyway right? Well, it just so happens that after praying and praying for God to help me, He did (I guess I was finally ready to listen). It's all about prioritizing. Not everything can get done in one day, so do the most important thing first and so on. An example: 1. Spend time with God. 2. Take care of your families needs, like hugs and food and such. 3. School work. 4. Housecleaning.
Now I know that this list looks easy, but in practice it's hard! Trying to hug your kid while looking at all the crumbs on the carpet is tough! Or reading the bible when there are dishes to wash.
I know that I will still have days like before, today was one of them, but you know what the difference was? I didn't let today's downs, get me down! I was in God's hands and everything was ok. When I started to worry that I hadn't done enough, God reminded me of what I did do, and to my surprise it was quite a lot.

If it Please the Court...

We would like to introduce Sr. William Lucus, our new Lab/Sharpei puppy.

We call him Luc.

And for those of you who are shaking your heads and wondering how crazy we'd have to be to have three dogs...

I would like to say...

"The Colonel will no longer be working with us".

For reasons that would take to long to go into, and would be too depressing to mention, Colonel Brandon the German Shepherd was returned to the Humane Society.

Happy First Birthday, Ellie and Maggie...

A year ago today, Ellie and Maggie decided that they had had enough of life in a small town. So they packed their bags and quit their lease two months early (born at 32 weeks gestation). Well, the Sheriff caught up with them heading out of town and put them under house arrest until they could pay off the remainder of their lease (NICU). In the end it only took them about 4 weeks to be paid in full, at which time they high tailed it out of town. Unfortunately, their run-ins with the law had just begun. Two weeks later they both wound up back under arrest for misconduct, and scarring the locals (RSV). This time the Sheriff was lenient and let them off after only 4 days for good behaviour. Maggie had a few more brief encounters with the sheriff, but otherwise until this month, the girls tried to keep a low profile. This month, getting tired of lying low, the girls enlisted their older brother in one last heist. The three of them snatched some gold jewelry and tried to make a run for it, but were quickly caught by the sheriff and hauled into court. The jewelry, however, was never found and the three of them were released for lack of evidence. And so ends their first year. What will they think up next?

With their history, the local Sheriff is going to be keeping a close eye on them.

No Really, My Dog Did It...

The new dog, Brandon, is too smart. It took him only one week to figure out how to open the kid safety gate that is suppose to keep the kids in and the dogs out of the playroom.

So yesterday I was outside for a moment messing with the garden fence when low and behold, who comes crawling out to meet me, but Ellie and Maggie. Ellie had a paint brush in her hand and picked up a rock to chew on, and Maggie had a spoon in her hand and a lego in her mouth. Yum. The grin these girls gave me could have stopped a bus! They were so proud of themselves, having escaped the safety of the kid room to join their older siblings in the great outdoors.

So I grabbed Maggie and took the lego and spoon away, grabbed Ellie and removed the rock and paint brush, and took them both back inside. The gate was wide open.

I guess I now need a dog proof gate as well as a kid proof one.

On that Note...

We are now the proud owners of a very warn upright piano. Yay!
I have been dreaming of owning a piano for a while because I really want all the kids to learn how to play. So I have been keeping an eye on Craig's List, and today I hit the Jackpot! Someone in the same city I live in, was selling their piano for $50. Better yet, he was willing to deliver it no extra charge! So with great glee I cleaned out a spot on the floor and welcomed a beautifully used out of tune wonderful piano.

Ah,...sweet music to my ears...well maybe not yet, but there will be!

So I Forgot to Mention...

Ellie took her first step last Wednesday, the 21st. I'm actually thinking though, that she might have been doing it for a while I just haven't had the privilege of watching her until now. She looked a bit too steady for a first time stepper.

The End of an "Ear"a...

For those of you who do not know, I have identical twin girls. To tell them apart with ease, I had their ears pierced when they were about 4 months old. Ellie got pink earrings, and Maggie got blue ones. For many around us this became a life saver when trying to tell them apart. I will say that as their mother I can tell them apart without the earrings, but I definitely have become accustom to the ease and convenience of the color coding.

Well, the good news is that nobody swallowed a sharp pink piercing earring. The bad news is that we had to take Ellie, Maggie, and yes even Jon to the ER Saturday night because one little pink intestine perforating earring had gone missing.
The Great Earring Hunt (perhaps we'll make it into a yearly tradition) started at about 3pm. We looked in every toy bucket, under furniture, and we even carefully picked though the vacuum cleaner after using it to suck up everything but a little pink earring. We did find the backing, the one safe to swallow part, on the floor. But no matter how hard we looked we couldn't find the post. So off to the ER we went to have three little tummies x-rayed. Now of course none of this happened during normal hours, because really why go to the ER at all if your not going to be there all night.

At this point I really need to break from the story and say thank you to the Hahne Family. After a quick, pleading phone call, we dropped Eddie and Katie off at their house, where they played, watched a movie, and spent the night having a glorious time. THANK YOU!!!

Back to the plot at hand...

I must say that I really liked our new ER. No, not the sick and infirm, but the nurses, the Dr., and all the other staff. They were Great! They put us in a quiet visitors room instead of the curtained of beds everyone else got. I can tell you from experience that when you have to go to the ER with more than one infant/toddler, you will be so very grateful for a peaceful place to sit.
The Dr. checked all three tummies and sent us home with instructions to find the earring before the kids do. Yeah, that's right, the Great Earring Hunt 2.
We still can't find it, so in the end we have done the only thing left to do.

We removed the other three earrings, because believe me, we don't want to do that ever again.

It's really the Key to the Whole Situation...

On Wednesday last week, I had to give Joe a ride to the office so that he could pick up his work truck. So off we went, kids and all.
After leaving Joe with his truck, I decided to make a quick stop off at Costco (notice I said quick). So I parked my car and unloaded all the kids into various carts/strollers and locked and closed the car door. At this point I would like to say that I always check to make sure I have my keys...well there's always an exception to the rule right? I was walking away from my car when I realized that I did not in fact have my keys. You would not believe the panic I started to feel as I dug in my purse frantically. I pushed the cart and kids back to the car (we had only gotten about 10 feet away from it), and dutifully checked all the doors for an unlocked one. Ok I thought, Breath, just get out your cell phone and call Joe...uh oh, no cell phones (I have two)...they were in the car with my keys. Ok, now I was really panicking, because I don't memorize any phone numbers, I keep them all in my cell phones. Plus, (to make it a real exciting trip) I also left the diaper bag in the car since this was going to be a "quick" trip. So I pushed everyone into the return side of Costco, and begged to use the phone. I called my mom in CA thinking surely she would be able to call my insurance for me. No answer...the only number I have memorized, and no one's home. So I begged again, and they used 411 to get the number to my insurance company. So I called and asked for roadside assistance. The told me it would take 60 minutes and that I could stay inside Costco until the time got close and then I should wait by my car. They were very considerate about the fact that I had kids, and they didn't want me to have to wait in the parking lot, hence the time. So I thought, why waste it? I did a quick run though Costco. After about 30-40 minutes I was standing in line to pay, when one of the Costco workers came up to me and told me that a Tow Truck was outside waiting near a green minivan. Mine is red, so I thought maybe not for me? But I hurried with the kids and the produce out the main doors and to my car, just in time to see the such said Tow Truck drive away. He didn't even drive near my car. Can I panic now? Please? Honestly, if I hadn't wanted my kids to see me cry, I would have lost it right there in the Costco parking lot. So I waited around 10 minutes at my car, then pushed kids, groceries and all back into Costco, and begged to use there phone once again. My insurance company told me I still had 10 more minutes to wait until help would arrive, so I told them that the help had come and gone without helping. They called the Tow Truck company and were told that the driver had sat and waited for 25 minutes and then had driven around for 25 minutes. Well, I don't know how good at math you are, but I wonder how the driver had spent 50 minutes total, when only 50 minutes had passed...In any case, my wonderful insurance company called a different tow company, and they arrived on time in only 15 minutes, and had my car unlocked and open in 5 more. Ahh,...peace at last, well except for the very cranky kids, the thawing groceries, and the 10mph traffic that took me home.

So there's only one think left for me to do...

Learn to pick locks.

It's a Dog Day Afternoon...

Meet "Colonel Brandon" our German Shepard/Border Collie mix. Sorry the Pic is so dark, I will try to get a better one later.

(I don't know if you've noticed the Jane Austen connection, but if not...Colonel Fitzwilliam is Darcy's cousin, and Colonel Brandon is married to Marianne Dashwood.)

We Just Can't Help Ourselves...

For those of you who know Colonel Fitzwilliam (a.k.a. Fitz)...

...He was a lonely dog...

...Until one day his owners took pity on him...

...And found him a friend...

Introducing Fitz's new friend...(name: to be determined)

Oh, what joy and happiness there is to find when one has such friends as these.

Oh, Potty Time, I thought You Said Party Time...

Yesterday, Jon started down the sometimes long road to becoming a "big boy". There were a few surprises along the way (for me that is). First, even though he still shakes his head no about using the potty, he had a 50% success rate! For a first day I thought this was Fabulous! My next surprise was that Katie seemed to decide that it was her job to be his coach. I kept hearing her high little voice saying, "Sit on the potty Jon. Good job. Now stand up so I can see if you peed. Ok, now sit back down. Good job, your going to be a big boy now!". My last surprise was the least pleasant. Unbeknown to me, Jon had dropped a nugget on the floor in the play room. The nugget, not made of wisdom or gold, was found by Ellie who had eaten it. Yuck! I found her smiling with something less than pleasant smeared on her hands and face. After cleaning her up, and then cleaning her up again, I still couldn't get rid of her "fresh" breath. At the risk of being redundant, Yuck! So now I call her my "E-coli kid". And yes, I called the Doctor's office and found out that no, this is not the first time in the history of man that this has happened, nor was there anything that I could do about it. Over all, I think his first day potty training was a triumph.

Cheers! May today bring more of the good, and less of the bad.

One Small Step...

Maggie just took her first step!

To Quote an Old Movie (well maybe not that old)...

"This is not the end. This is not the beginning of the end. This is the end of the beginning."

What a hopeful thought. Sigh....my first thought is that he's got it backwards. The World does seem to be shutting down (it could still take a million years, but we are on our way out), not just starting up. But as I look closer at this, I start to think that maybe he has it right...this world is not our home, just a starting point that we endure. Some of us will go to an eternity in glory with Christ, and some of us will have an eternity somewhere else. But there it stands, we are just starting out with our eternal souls, even if and when this world ends, our souls don't.

So this year I am going to try to see others this way, as created beings destined and designed for eternity by an immortal unchanging forever God.