The Road Less Traveled

Sounds like the beginning of a deep and incredibly poignant post, doesn't it? Welp, if that's what your here for, then scram. The only thing deep about this post is the amount of pumpkin muck we got into.

I don't ever remember my parent's grumbling about pumpkin carving. It was always just one of those things we did. I don't have any particular memories at all, truth be told, concerning pumpkin carving. I don't ever remember not having that orange, glowing jack-o-lantern on our porch this time of year, so it stands to reason that it must have been a relatively simple process for those memories to be so markedly unremarkable.

Oh, ho! How my memories have either failed me or how my husband and I just stink at traditional pumpkin carving.

We selected a small-ish pumpkin for each child, thinking that a porchful of warm pumpkin grins was just the ticket to all things fall. We took those pretty little pumpkins home and the kids thrilled in drawing their idea of the perfect pumpkin face on a trash bag. I transferred those ideas to the selected spot on their pumpkins, and soon we were ready to start the carving.



Except perhaps not. Those were some tough pumpkins! They obviously did not choose the destiny of jack-o-lanterning and were determined to not give up the fight easily. And folks, those orange gourds won. We admitted defeat for the evening and plotted on purchasing better tools the following day.



Joshua brought home the official pumpkin carving kit and we thought we were all set for some real pumpkin carving. What happened was that we bent two of the miniature saws within the first five minutes. And broke one of the hole poker tools.

Joshua finally sawed his way into one of the pumpkins, started a second, then looked slightly dismayed as he realized how much carving was left to be done. Caps off, eyes, noses, mouths...he looked up at me with a look of defiance in his eyes and announced...

'I am going to get the dremel.'


Yes, we really did resort to power tools for our pumpkin carving. It was highly effective, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Despite the cat's distaste for the added noise.


It worked out quite well, really. I'm thinking we might just make that there dremel a part of our pumpkin massacring tradition!



And yes, I really did trash the majority of that pumpkin carving kit while I did my best impression of Yosmitty Sam under my breath.

In The Silence of This Moment...

There's always fodder for 'Kids Say The Darndest Things' at our house. In general, I try not to subject people to it too terribly much. Occasionally, I have to get some of these things written down.

Sarah Grace is passionate about learning to read. The competitive streak in that kid is about eighteen miles wide, and it is killing her that Thomas can read.

'But why can't I read, Mommy?'

'Baby, you have to learn all your letter sounds first. Then you'll learn to string them together and make words.'

'But I can read because I can talk.'

Oh my, can she ever. Not a meal goes by that we don't remind her at least forty-six times to concentrate more on her food and less on sharing information.

Thomas is giving in on his bid for the presidency. He has opted, instead, to be king. He apparently didn't like the part about needing to be voted into an office and the very real possibility of not being voted for a second term.

Elizabeth, well, she's just sweet. Can't admit to wrong-doing to save her life, but perfectly adorable as she answers 'I doughno' to questions that could lead to proof of her guilt.

As for Anna, well, she has no words. She has screeches and wails and smiles and gibber.

Rarely is there a quiet moment around here...and when there is, I think about the happy noisiness that happens throughout the day. This life of mine is filled with a happy hub-bub.

The Shine On The Usual

Yesterday, in case you missed it, was the six year anniversary of the day my husband and I exchanged our vows. It's the one time of year you can pretty well count on us to do something different from the norm and set time aside for just us. This year, we failed. Circumstances far beyond our control stepped in to insure that we spent our anniversary in a normal, everyday kind of way.

We had already made the command decision to stay home from church so as not to inflict our lack of health on anyone else. We all lolled about in bed until our stomachs drove us to the kitchen. As we sat and ate our breakfast, the kids chattered about all the fall colors. Memories from my childhood flooded my head reminding me of long, winding back roads and ancient trees reaching towards the sky with their coats of colors. I smiled and announced we were going on a leaf ride after breakfast.

It was not the best-est leaf ride I have ever been on. With all the rain, the trees just aren't their usual bright colors. But the enjoyment of getting out of the house, the change of scenery, the fun music on the radio, it all mixed in to make a very nice distraction. We stopped in at Wally Market to grab up a few things that were needed to get us through since I had not been to the grocery store in over a week, and continued on our way back home.

It was then that I realized that there was no way I was going to make it all the way back to the house without starving to death. I needed a coke and some salty fries. McDon@ld's was the only thing that could keep rescue me from certain death.

When we finally made it back home, the kids romped around a bit enjoying the sunshine, and then everyone except me went to lay down for a nap. I tip-toed to the sewing room and made myself comfortable.

We had spaghetti for dinner. It later occurred to me that we could have eaten by candlelight, in honor of our anniversary, but at the time, I was more concerned with getting food in everybody's little bellies. After dinner, we had planned to carve pumpkins, but that fell flat due to a terrible lack of planning on my part.

We'll have to do that some other time.

We put the kids to bed, and settled in to enjoy the evening in our own separate ways. It was highly un-romantic.

Tonight, however, we put the kids to bed and left them in Granny's care as we went off in search of chocolate. I suggested a favorite country food restaurant that has been tempting me with advertisements of scrumptious chocolate fudge cake. Tonight, we went and had ourselves a dessert date. We discussed politics, religion, our family, ideas and goals and dreams. We joked on the waiter, who was a hoot. I wrapped up in Joshua's jacket, which smells wonderfully of him, of familiarity, of comfort. We held hands and meandered about the country store.

It may not have been a big anniversary get-away, but it was a get away. And our anniversary? It was a reflection of our lives, and the contentment found there in.

It was all perfect. Right down to the french fries.

6 Years Ago...

...we looked a bit more like this.


5 years ago, we looked like this.


4 years ago, we looked like this.


3 years ago, we looked like this.


2 years ago, we looked like this.


1 year ago, we looked like this.



And now, we look like this.


There is much more to it than how we look at any given time. It's the time we share together, the good times and the not as good times. It's how much we love each other and how much we love our children. Most importantly, it's how much we love our Lord and how we respond to everything that He allows to happen in our lives. It's a ride that I would share with no other.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart. I am so excited about sharing many, many more with you.

Little Bits From The Sick House

If you follow me on Twitter or have seen any of my recent FaceBook statuses, you are well aware of the fact that this is not the house you want to be living in right now.

Sarah Grace got the party started with a bit of a cold. It got bigger so she shared it with Thomas. He added to his own misery by cocktailing that cold with the flu. Then Anna came down with croup. And then I sat in the ER with little Anna last night until the steroids kicked in and my baby began breathing normally again.

To say that today was not very productive would be an understatement. In fact, I was so wiped out that I just kind of drifted through the day. I did cuddle with children frequently. And I did tuck away a few moments.

Like when it took Sarah Grace and Elizabeth nearly half an hour to get Elizabeth's pull-up pulled up. And the giggling that took place in that hilarious half hour.

Or the look on his face when Thomas realized that the muffins he was enjoying so very much were made with pumpkin. 'But pumpkins aren't FOOD, Mom!!!'

And when Anna found that if she flipped the nipple on the bottle, it would make a satisfying popping sound and water would fly out.

Then there were those first few moments of nap time. Everybody cried for a few minutes, then peace. They were all so exhausted that after the obligatory wails of protest, they slept for no less than three hours.

And this Mama? She reclaimed her calmness.

Curses, Foiled Again

Let me just get this off my chest. I can't get video to upload, I can't get pictures to download. Your little peepers are doomed to a life of picture-less blather. Or at least until the bad techie karma leaves.

It kind of fits, though. This lack of computer savvy coincides with a houseful of sick little children. So it's not like I have tons of time to tweak pictures, find words, and add posts. My lap is being vied for at nearly every moment of the day, and I suspect that the weeks usual activities will be put on hold until this cold quits kicking their little tails.

However, there are those incredibly long naps that sick children are given to taking. And what do I plan to do with that time? Work in the kitchen!!! I am trying to 'cook ahead', doubling or tripling recipes and freezing things so that I can provide myself with a get out of jail free card on an evening when I am feeling particularly lazy.

I am also undertaking some baking experiments that make me smile, even if I don't like the results. I love to bake. It's better than cooking regular food, if you ask me, but alas I can't bake my way through meal time every day of the week. We used to have baking day, me and the kids...I am looking forward to implementing that wonderful time of fun and silliness into our routine again.

And there you have it. A lot of words that amount to nothingness to anyone besides me and my desire to blog, it being all therapeutic and all. I will tell you this, a little teaser: I have some cutie pictures of my kids on my iPhone (that I can't download yet) and some very embarrassing pictures of myself and another recent experiment that I just might post. So y'all remember me and my bad karma when you think about your desire for another Aubrey Antic, m-kay?

Frustrations & Adult Conversations

I have a post that was supposed to go up Monday night!!! So it could be ready for the reading on Tuesday. The words are all in order, but the video won't upload. Not to Vimeo, not to You Tube. I have been trying for two whole days to no avail. I am irritated frustrated really freaking ill tempered about this failure. The post is a flop without the audio-visual aid. Perhaps another time?

On a happier note, though, my laptop is repaired. It went kaput sometime back in, oh, September, August, I dunno. I whined and wailed and learned to cope. (Not really, but just let's keep pretending, shall we?) Finally, I shelled out to purchase the part that Joshua said I would need to get the thing up and operating again. Monday morning my husband took my van (I got a bolt...A BOLT!!! in the tire on Sunday) to be serviced and my beloved laptop with him. He dropped the van off, put the new part in my laptop, and even remembered to pick me up a Sunday paper (I forgot it on Sunday). Oh, and he put in a full day of work, too! The man is amazing. I don't think I could have accomplished all that in a week.

Oh, who am I kidding? There is no way I would have ever fixed the laptop with my own two hands. There would have been much pounding and breaking of parts and possibly some less than praiseworthy words if it had been left to me.

At dinner Monday night, Joshua told Thomas to give me the news of the replacement part.

'Ummm...your laptop works,' guessed Thomas.

'Do you remember what I told you it was, Son?' prodded Joshua.

'Ummm...you got new mommy parts for your computer.'

It is one of my all time highly under appreciated accomplishments that I didn't just dissolve into laughter right then and there. He meant a new mother board. But, oh, at how funny it sounded and at how proud he looked at remembering the name. Sort of.

Which brings me to other funny things that have been happening lately. Thomas and Sarah Grace seem to be discontent with the status quo of their way of relating things. To use a phrase that I have never really used for lack of true understanding, I 'bout busted a gut as I listened in on this little gem.

'Let's have an adult conversation, okay, Sarah Grace?'

'Okay. You start.'

'I have a really bad pain in my foot and I called my doctor today. He said that it might be a tumor'

'Uh-huh, yeah. I know what you mean. Yeah,' said Sarah Grace, nodding her head sympathetically.

'I will have to have a new medicine but it really makes me sick and I don't want to do it.'

'Yeah, yeah. That is not fun.'

'But, I got tickets to go to the movies and eat popcorn, so maybe the tumor won't hurt then,' declared Thomas.

'Oh, if you drink Sprite, it will help you. It always helps me feel better.'

'Well, I don't want to get too much sugar, or it could make the tumor go to my tummy and then it would really hurt!' Thomas shook his head vehemently.

'Well, you could just drink a little and then eat a lot of popcorn. Popcorn can't make you sick because it's a veg-able. I know because I know it's made from corn.'

'Oh, well if I eat lots of veg-ables and fruits and popcorn, then my tumor will go away, then, right?'

'Yeah, yeah, it will. And you will be all healed up better!' exclaimed Sarah Grace.

Y'all, the fun comes by the bucket loads around here. Unexpected and wonderfully frequent bucket loads. It is a very good life.

This Moment

The morning starts in tears of discouragement and sadness. It is a sure sign that the Munchkin Brigade did not get a good night's sleep. The Boy comes to me with tears streaming down his face and a blank Magna Doodle in his hands. The masterpiece that he has so diligently been working on for two days is gone. Erased at the hands of the sister, who is the technical owner of that particular Magna Doodle. Not viciously erased, just erased so that she can produce her own art.

Thomas is not easily comforted. I find myself carefully refraining from rolling my eyes in exasperation. I offer sympathy while also posing the question of how wise he thought it was to draw on a Magna Doodle and expect it to last forever. He hugs me harder and wipes his nose on my (clean) shirt.

This is my role. To comfort in the midst of insanity and to be a human kleenex. To try to guide with a loving hand and the voice of reason. To not sigh show signs of frustration in the middle of his anguish.

It is not easy for me to be compassionate in these situations. Sometimes, I really want to just give him a good thunk on the head and say, 'Duh!', but somehow that doesn't seem as though it would build him up.

I smile to myself as I wonder at how many times I deserved the thunk on the head from my heavenly Father. At how often His grace and mercy has streamed over me in great waves as He wraps his arms around me and holds me close. All because I did something unwise and found myself in a panic.

I hug Thomas closer and am more easily able to be what he needs me to be at this moment. The Father has modeled it so perfectly and, this time, I find compassion to give.

Soon the tears fade away and the masterpiece is recreated on paper and given a place of honor on the fridge.

High Fashion & More On The Noise Levels

I try to dress my children in cute clothes. I really do. But at some point their own sense of fashion competes with mine and, in order to keep the noise at bay so my head doesn't explode promote a sense of independence in my children, I just help with the major stuff. The details get left up to them. When I say major, understand that this means brushing their hair and asking if they remembered their underwear. Details include everything else.

The day comes when I just have to let go and let them do their thing, though. For instance, this little get-up...

That is part me and part Elizabeth. The dress and bow part? That is me. The leggings and the wear her brother's shoes part? All her. Here's a close up, just for you!

And what was she doing in that statement making wardrobe of hers? Spraying the brick walls with water to make sure that they were clean. I can't even begin to tell you how tickled that made me when she explained it all to me.

While Elizabeth was diligently washing the bricks down, Anna was just on the other side of the screen door jumping and bouncing and spinning and squealing. I think she may have even been pointing out spots Elizabeth missed on the wall.

At some point, the the older three kids ditched any and all idea of cleaning and chose to eat a snack on the back deck. I was puttering around doing odds and ends while Anna snacked on some Oh's when I heard a great and wonderful noise from the depths of the yard.

'Mommy! I love you! Anna! I love you!'

This in unison from Thomas, Sarah Grace, and Elizabeth. My heart swelled and my face smiled. Especially when Anna called back to them.

'Aaaaahhhhh!!!' She said as she smiled and reached out towards the open windows where the noise drifted in.

To my utter delight, the kids responded to Anna with another 'I love you!' chorus. This life of mine is so hard sometimes.

As If Learning The Rules Of The Game Wasn't Confusing Enough

After many rain outs, Thomas finally had a soccer game. The whole family loaded up and went out to support our favorite son/brother last Thursday evening.

Joshua meets us at the fields since the games start at six. I was on my own to get the kids ready, out the door, and to the field on time. We were not late, but we weren't a minute early, either. I noticed a couple of light blue jerseys running around at the opposite end of the field, sent Thomas to the gathering of green jerseys, and then took then took the girls to get ourselves situated on the bleachers.

It takes several minutes to 'get ourselves situated on the bleachers', people. I finally looked up and realized that the 'couple of light blue jerseys' that were running around were just that...two whole players on the other team. This age groups plays three team members on the field at a time. Their team was short one. Being the youngest age group in the league, it's all about play time for the kids. We don't even keep score. So we loaned a player out to the blue team and the confusion began.

Within seconds, one of the little blue jersey-ed kids was sitting on the ground wailing for Mommy. He sat there and cried and wailed and refused to play for the entire first quarter. Finally, his parents removed him from the field (his Dad was the coach) and he cheerfully played at his Mother's feet for the rest of the game. To try to even things up, we loaned another player to the blue team, which was now mostly green.

Check out those droopy socks!

Throughout the rest of the game, our green jersey boys rotated to play on the 'blue' team. Our boys had no idea which way they were supposed to kick the ball, and much hilarity ensued. When it was Thomas' turn to play on the 'blue' team, he was a bit uncertain. He hugged Sparky (who was visiting our family for the week! Yay!) close, then carefully sat him down on the bench by the coach and went off to play on the blue team for a quarter.

Thomas hugging Sparky.

I laughed more than usual as the game progressed. The kids were lost and I have a sneaking suspicion that I wasn't the only adult that wasn't sure which goal was ours! In the end, we all took our boys home, played out and happy.

I bet he hates this picture in years to come!

And that, friends, is one of the huge benefits to ball playing boys. Tired, happy, and looking forward to bed!

The Music of My Life

Many moons ago, I lived in a little apartment. Just me and three cats (yes, three. Believe me, I still wonder how I did it) in our teensy apartment. I loved that season of my life. It was marked by peaceful evenings and independence. My music, my timetable, my menu. For a short period of time, life seemed all about me.

The good Lord knew I couldn't handle much of that before I became unbearable. Soon my beloved proposed, and a short four months later, we were married. Ten months after that, we were parents, and the noise has steadily grown in it's consistency over the past five years.

This period of my life is marked by screeches, laughter, 'Mommy, can I', battery operated toys, makeshift drums, all manner of thumps and thuds, 'Mommy, I need', arguing kids, wailing, blowing raspberries, 'Mommy, will you', kiddie music, a more or less regulated routine, and easy foods.

If somebody had told me six years ago how wonderful this all is, I woulda suggested to them that perhaps a head examination should me in their very near future. If they had even hinted at how okay I would be with life being all about family and much, much, much less about me, I might have howled in laughter.

As it stands, I'll take the sweet sound of little hands slapping on the floor as a baby crawls to me, the infectiousness of a laughing little boy, the persistent 'Mommy?'...'Mommy?'.....'Mommy?'.....'I love you.' of my oldest daughter, and the mischievous giggle of our Sunshine child. And I will relish the sound of that roomful of children breathing deeply and sighing in their sleep.

Because I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are replenishing their little batteries for tomorrow.

Anna Joy - 10 Months

I am 10 months old and...

...I chatter.
...I squeal.
...I babble.
...I screech.
...I get my point across
...I eat off the floor.
...I still have NO TEETH.
...I get into e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.
...I speed crawl.
...I love to eat.
...I still take two, sometimes three, naps a day.
...I will put anything in my mouth.
...I had my first marshmallow. It was very exciting!
...I have still never worn shoes...
...but I do have some.
...my aim with food is getting better. Less on the floor!
...except when I throw it over for entertainment!
...the telephone is very intriguing to me.
...I am pulling up on things and holding on with only one hand!
...I love to empty boxes and drawers and baskets and bags and puzzles and...
...my favorite place to be is in your arms...
...except when I am there to keep me out of the stuff I really want to get into.
...I will look at Mommy or Daddy if you ask me where they are.
...I will turn my head to look at you when my name is called.
...I sometimes get fixated on my hands.
...I am growing so incredibly fast!