A Tale of a Tail

My oh my, is this one brave puppy of mine? Or one very stupid puppy?! I had really thought him quite bright up until this morning! However...Oscar's newest endeavor is to grab Casey, our 14 year old doggy, by the tail! First, he bites her on the butt, making her sit down (otherwise, he can't reach her tail!). He then proceeds to grab her by the tail and play tug of war with her back end. Like I said....very brave, or very stupid. Casey tolerated this game for a while this morning. But all things must come to an end and eventually she put Scrappy Doo here in his place...game over. So...that is what is happening this morning in the Roberts house!

Doggone Cute!

Okay...snapped these two pix of our newest baby this morning...isn't he just the CUTEST thing ever! I really, really do have plenty to do in this house these days...I just can't get enough of this little sweetie though!

Rainbows In My Yard

I took this picture today of a prickly pear cactus in my back yard. Aren't the colors just exquisite?! I just love it! I want to frame it and totally paint a room around it! Nature is SO cool! What's in YOUR backyard?!

Oscar's Bug!

I was heading to bed tonight (or at least I THOUGHT I was!) and was taking the doggies outside for one last piddle opportunity when Oscar discovered this beetle bug. He was FACSINATED! He must have jumped on this poor beetle bug 50 times and would grab it and spit it out and grab it and spit it out and then watch it to see what it would do, and then when it would move, he would grab it and spit it out again! It was fun for Oscar...and fun for me too! And of course, I couldn't resist grabbing my camera!

AFTER

Ta-dah! All finished! One lovely chocolate cocoa wall! I used about a whole inch of paint from the gallon...so...anyone need a pretty full can of chocolate paint? I keep looking around and wondering "What else in this house is crying out to be chocolate?!" Shhhh! Don't tell Chris!

Pizzadilla!....Yum!

Trying to think of what in the world to do for dinner last night (Chris is away...again) and searching the pantry and fridge...VOILA! Pizzadillas were born. Similar to the well known quesadilla...we improvised and created the VERY popular pizzadillas. Tortillas, a little splash of pizza sauce, deli pepperonis and some cheese....fold it in half...throw it in the skillet for a minute or two and...presto...three of the happiest kiddos you have ever seen! I have to admit...they were YUMMY!

BEFORE

Project Time!

Okay...hubby is far, far away...so it's time to get busy on a certain project that I have been itching to take on for some time! It involves paint (NOT one of Chris' favorite things in this world!) and just a wee chunk of my time! So...I am off!

Gifts From the Ghetto

Yesterday I did another portrait session for the American Children's Photography Charity Guild. We do portraits for families of children with terminal diseases. It is all volunteer and is totally free to these families. They get a free session, as well as 20 to 30 printed pictures in varying sizes...all at no cost to them. Yesterday's child was a 16 year old boy with very advanced Muscular Dystrophy. As I was driving around looking for their home (I could NOT find their house number!) I was worrying and thinking to myself how small and run down these homes were and how I probably was not going to have a lot of room to work. After the third pass down the street I FINALLY locate the house number and realize that it's not a tiny house I am walking up to...but a duplex...TWO homes in what I already considered a tiny residence. And when I walked inside it was indeed itty bitty...very, very little room to work. Especially considering the fact that the child was in a large wheelchair and we had that to work around as well. So I improvised some equipment and made some adjustments to my original "portrait plan" and began to shoot pictures of this sweet and delightful family. While I was there I noticed that their tiny little dining area off the kitchen was full...full of a hospital bed with an I.V. drip bag hanging from a hook in the ceiling and then the only other space there in that little corner of the room would be taken up by his wheelchair. Someone had taken great pains to paint the ceiling above his bed in that little dining alcove like a night sky with a solar system and stars so that he would have something to gaze at. He could no longer turn, or even fully support his own head. This child has struggled with this disease his entire life. The earliest pictures of him around the house as just a little guy of two-ish or earlier show him with a tracheotomy in his troat and a wheelchair. It seemed such a very, very sad situation to me. Yet this family was so smiley and happy and adored this kid to death. His older sister had come home to be a part of the picture and they all laughed and joked with him and he joked right back. It was a home filled to busting with love. I initially saw this family as somewhat "destitute" and in a place of poverty that I have never in my life come close to knowing (though I thought I had before yesterday). His mom made a comment that since they had become so much more financially stable over the past few years she was exploring some arts and crafts hobbies. And I realized that this life was actually a big improvement from what they had previously known. And I was just struck as I left there by how unbelievably blessed I am. How completely over the top my life must seem compared to theirs. The things that I take for granted and NEVER give the slightest thought to would be pure luxury for these people. Right down to the furniture I sit on, or the car I drive, or the floors that I mop, or even the air conditioner that I run to keep cool. It is a different world and I am seeing it all in such different perspective today. We have SO MUCH. So much, that at times I think we cease to even see it or recognize it. I don't even know anyone that is not so richly blessed beyond reason it isn't funny. And I know that I am guilty of grumbling over what I don't have and thinking that one day...when we have a little more money maybe we'll do this or that or have this or have that. I'm on a roll here...but it was so life changing to be there. So as I sat sipping my coffee in the front living room this morning taking in my house I realize that I pretty much live in a palace. My home is beautiful and I am really seeing that this morning and really, really, really appreciating that. I am thankful BEYOND what anyone can imagine that my kids are healthy and have been spared the type of life this child has had. I am taken aback by our excessiveness here in our home and realize that my children have known treats and treasures and blessings way far and beyond what they have ever needed to know. I am so thankful and grateful for the opportunity to volunteer with this organization...to be able to meet these people and share a few moments of their life...to be able to give a gift, just because I can. I have said from the start that this photography talent can only come from God...it's not me. There has never been a course or a class of any kind...just me...and that's not enough! I know without a doubt God is behind that lens every time I pick up the camera. I wanted to be a servant with that talent and use it wisely and bless others through it. Only it's ME who is blessed over and over again. In ways that I could have never imagined. Every one of these ACPCG shoots have sent me to the ghetto areas...to very poor families with very sick children...and every time I go to supposedly give this family a gift of a portrait session...It is I who receive the gift...I who receive more blessing than I could ever anticipate. I am a different person today than I was before my first volunteer session back in February. In four months God has led me in directions that have completely opened my eyes and my heart and challenged everything that I know in life. I am thankful beyond words to be able to be a part of it. It's let me see life so differently from the very, very sheltered life that I lead. Life is so good here in the desert...so much better than I need or deserve. God has provided so unbelievably for me and my family. There is no comprehending the depth of his gifts...seen and unseen. I am humble today and seeing life anew here in the desert.

Soggy Doggy

Today was bath day for Oscar(mostly because he fell in the pool and smelled like chlorine!). Folks...he is NOT a water dog! Not even a TINY bit fond of water! So basically, it was just a brief torture session for the little thing...he tried multiple times to escape and just shivered to death through the whole process. He then proceeded to race around the house like a wild man! He sure does smell perty!

WE DON'T DO 4:30!!!

So...it was like a party at the Roberts house at 4:30 this morning! NOT! Chris had to fly out to Europe on the customary dawn flight...so he had to get up at 4:30 this morning to get showered and dressed and out the door to the airport. No big deal...we are used to that. HOWEVER...he had not been in the shower long before our bedroom door creaks open and Miss Clara comes strolling talking of some dream and whatnot. My immediate response was Shhhhhhh (thinking "Let's NOT wake up the puppy.") and I reached out to pull her into my bed in an attempted lightning fast back to sleep maneuver. However...the child had to go potty. So she heads into the bathroom with Chris and now the bedroom is awash in light from the bathroom and full of the sounds of shower running (which, incidentally, was like, OUTRAGEOUSLY loud for some reason this morning) and the two of them are just chatting it up....all at 4:30 a.m. just steps away from my bedside. She finally gets back to my bed and seems rather ready to converse when I let her know that was not an option. Once again...the shhhhhhsh. But then our dog, Casey decided to participate in our ridiculously early morning antics and wants to go outside. GRRRRRRRR! I go and put her out, fulling meaning to leave her out there for the next while and while I was in mid leap back into my comfy bed....little Oscar decides that there is just too much excitement going on and wants in on the action as well. So now he's doing his whining and crying in his crate and the shhhhhsh I give him doesn't work. Imagine that. So now Mom is just getting cranky. We had already gotten to bed late as we had our Dinner for 8 group over last night. The folks left a little after 10:00...then there was the clean up since our home looked like we'd had a frat party all over the place! Then Chris had to pack for his trip and I have a photo shoot for the Charity Guild today, so I had to dismantle my studio and load it into the car...so it was coming up on midnight before we were lights out last night! So I am NOT ready to play, or converse, or do ANYTHING at 4:30. But ready or not, I am at this point in the way early morning standing out in the back yard with Oscar while he decides whether or not he really needs to go. I assured him that if we were UP and OUT at 4:30 he WAS going to go...and he seemed to catch my drift on that and piddled nicely so we could go back inside and TRY to sleep. So we all hop back in bed and I deposit Oscar in my bed as well because I know there is no way he will quietly go back in the crate at this point...and then we do the whole "Let't see if we can bite mommy's nose off" game and the roll around and eat the covers thing before he finally realizes he ought to settle down. So he settles down and I think...ahhhh...finally...sleep! And then about 45 seconds later Chris comes out of the bathroom to finish dressing and Clara needs to know why he is taking a shower in the middle of the night and that's when I had just had enough! I went on to inform ALL of them that we don't DO 4:30 a.m. We just DON'T. So Chris quickly gathered his things and kissed us and scooted out...Clara got still (even though she was still talking to herself under her breath!) and Oscar snuggled in, as did Casey and by now it is 5:00 am. It seems to take forever to drop back off to sleep after all of that and now the sun is coming up too. And then Clara is up and all bright eyed and bushy tailed by 6:15! I send her away into the house to turn on the t.v. and let me sleep some more. She's gone all of 10 minutes (just enough time for me to begin to feel the first tingle of sleep approach...again!) and she's BACK at my bedside to announce that I should cook her some breakfast because "I just heered my stomach growl and it was LOUD!" I told her to find something to hold her over and I would be there...eventually. Anyway. I finally gave up on sleep and we began the day. However...I am SO anticipating a nap this afternoon! I need a seriously strong I.V. coffee drip to get through this day!

On another note...I think I sprained my butt. I did notice it hurting a LOT during step class yesterday that I did immediately following the weight training class. But it seemed all right by the end of class. However...this morning, I am acutely aware that I have a butt and that it is attached to a very achy lower back! Fun, fun fun! And not contributing at all to my crankiness!

Despite all this early morning totally unwanted wake up call and achy brakey butt...I am resolved to find something to be thankful for in it all. So...here it goes...

I am thankful that I got to glimpse the first rays of sunrise this morning (something that RARELY happens for me!)

I am thankful that I can FEEL my butt (painful as it is) and that I am not paralyzed.

I am thankful that our dinner for 8 group was able to get together and enjoy fellowship last night and that everyone seemed to have a good time.

I am thankful for tiny puppies who can't resist giving you kisses to show you just how glad they are to see you and to be in your bed at 4:30 in the morning (even if there were tiny teeth lurking just inside those kisses!).

And I am thankful for little girls who need to go potty in the night and tell you about their weird dreams and want to know why in the world you would take a shower in the middle of the night!

And honestly...right now...I am so thankful for this cup of coffee and the one that came before it and the one that is sure to follow this one...because today it is truly "go juice"...and I know that I can put one foot in front of the other and do what needs to be done because of it! I am SO thankful for God's wisdom in giving us the coffee bean...really, really thankful!

So these are the musings of the weird and weary! Such as they are! Life is good in the desert...better at 7 am than 4:30...but good just the same!

Bountiful Beauties

Was I right? Or was I right? My cactus was all abloom in gorgeous huge flowers this morning! It looked like someone dropped a wreath of flowers right on the top of it. They were just amazing! And then, by 1:00 today....gone. Droopy, wilted, closed and soggy...they were gone. Here for such a short, fleeting time. How awesome that God would create something SO beautiful and have it here for less than a day...and now we have something to look forward to and anticipate again....next year!

More pictures of our baby!

Okay...Oscar is just so doggone cute that I had to post a few more of him that I took this morning! Enjoy!

Tonight is the Night (maybe!)

My blooms are getting ready to explode...any minute now...I am thinking tonight is THE night! I am VERY excited about their opening (as you can tell)! I will be poolside, in my p.j.s bright and early tomorrow morning and HOPEFULLY there will be gorgeous big blooms to photograph! Stay tuned!

Headache

It's Baaaaaaaack! I woke up with a headache this morning. A skull crushing, hurts to move kind of headache. I would have loved to just go back to sleep and see if it might just go away (though I know better), however, Oscar had other plans and we were up promptly at 5:41 a.m. So...hitting it with everything I've got so that I can function in two hours when I head to the gym for a step class. Water, ibuprofen, caffeine, caffeine, water. Hopefully it will budge. It's all on the right side of my head...I think my right eye might fall out. The left side does not hurt at all. All right sided...right up front and around to the side of my temple. Ouch.

Cutest Puppy Ever!

Okay...so Oscar is like, the cutest puppy of all time! He is SO so sweet and SO so cute and OH so loveable...just a little cutie, he is! The kids adore him and have had a blast throwing the ball for him and watching him jump and play. He's a good baby too. He has been going potty outside like a good boy. He no longer seems completely freaked out by the world beyond the sliding glass door! Last night also went really well as sleeping in his crate...sleeping being the main word in that thought! He slept through the night with nary a peep and nary an accident! He's the best and easiest baby ever to live in THIS family! That's for sure! He has been a real bright spot in this house the past 48 hours and we are all deeply and hopelessly attached to the little guy!

Anticipation!

Yippeeee! My night blooming cereus is getting ready to do it's "thang" as we might say in the south! It is busting with blooms and any day now there is going to be a show of huge and amazing blooms! I caught last years purely by accident and was SO excited about it (I think the picture is probably in June of last year's blog entry!). I have been waiting to see what this year would hold! Last year I had exactly 3 blooms...this year....TEN! This is my all time favorite cactus to bloom....and it blooms exactly once a year, in June. So...I'm a waitin! Camera is READY! Life is SO good in the desert!

A New Addition to Our Family

Meet Oscar. New to our family. 9 weeks old. Precious. Adorable. Sweet beyond words. Cuddly. It's neat and special to have a baby in the house again! More about this little guy to come!

Headache X 2

I have a headache tonight. It's a doozy. Had one yesterday starting at lunch as well. This would be day 4 and 5 of my cycle. Not than anyone cares one bit about my headache...but I keep saying I'm going to keep track (they seem to be really on the rise and way too frequent here lately)...but then I don't. So tonight, consider these last two headaches documented. The end.

Time to Beef Up My Workout!

My littlest one just woke up from a nap. She was unbelievably cranky this morning...so a nap was a non negotiable event today. She slept well over two hours...which means she was tired! And when she woke up she said "You're MY mommy. I love you so much." And I said that I loved her too. Then she proceeded to tell me how soft my skin was and how pretty my face was and just how "gooshy" I feel when she hugs me. So...since I am obviously on the "gushy" soft side...and five years olds don't lie...nor do they surgarcoat the truth!...I think that it is time to take my workout up a a notch! I am DEFINITELY up a good 5 to 7 pounds right now...the scale also does not lie (though Chris was SO sure that it did that he went out and bought another, equally truthful scale)...and Clara is all over the truth of this matter! It was a sweet, but eye opening comment from my daughter. I treasure her sweetness but have no desire whatsoever to be remembered as "my gooshy, squishy, mommy"! So...off to Target now to buy a pilates workout DVD!

God Breezes

Chris and I were doing our devotions last night (his idea to pick it up again!) and the topic was about feeling led to pray. It told a story about how it was laid on a mother's heart to pray for her daughter and she tried to put it aside...but it kept coming back. So she stopped everything there in her kitchen and prayed for the safety of her daughter and asked God to place a protective ring of angels around her daughter. A short time later a policeman knocked on her door to let her know that her daughter had been in a fairly serious car accident...but had only minor injuries. So then Chris and I got to talking about feeling the prompt of the Holy Spirit in our lives and giving examples of when we "hear" it. My friend in Florida had a term for those prompts...and she called them God breezes. When God speaks to your heart and touches it in a way that it is almost as if God himself whispers in your ear. It was a very interesting conversation...and in the midst of it, I realized that Chris had experienced a God breeze here recently, as it had been laid on his heart to pick up our devotions, and to work together, as a married couple, on living in the word of God and developing a strong foundation for the rest of our lives and for our family. It's neat how God works things out...is it not? Many, O Lord, my God are the wonders you have done.-Psalm 40:5

Conversations with Clara

So...this was a rather interesting conversation with my soon to be five year old daughter. It went something like this...

"Mom...you know the best part about going swimming?"

And I said "No Clara...what is the best part about going swimming?" And I expect her to tell me how it cools her off, or how fun it is to do her jumps or spins...or how she loves to dive to the bottom for the dive rings and toys. But no! She proceeds to tell me...

"The best part of swimming is right after you get out and you go pee and it's so warm on your tooty after after all that cold! I just love that warm spreading pee feeling."

So...now how's that for some interesting thought processes?! She never ceases to amuse us and keep us on our toes! On the bright side...at least she's not peeing in the pool!

Brushes With Nature

These were a few of our family's nature encounters in Zion National Park...up close and personal! Have I mentioned that this was the MOST amazing trip EVER?!

And Then They Went To...

Our camping journey finally found our family in Zion National Park in Zion, Utah. We spent three glorious nights camping in the most amazing scenery I have ever beheld! They originally called it Zion because it was so beautiful that they said God himself would have his throne there. I had to agree...the place was majestically gorgeous and mind boggling in it's sheer beauty. Our family had a fantastic time hiking the different trails such as the Emerald Pools and the Riverside walk, hiking the Narrows and getting to do the Ride with the Ranger tour through the park. We learned a LOT about the might power of water, and how it can change and shape the surroundings. It was one of the most educational and fun and beautiful places that I have ever been! I cannot wait to have the opportunity to return there some day. I would highly, highly, highly recommend this destination and feel so very blessed to have been able to see it all! My pictures do not begin to capture the awesomeness and beauty of the place! You simply have to go and see it for yourself!

The Journey Goes On

The next leg of our journey after Oak Creek Canyon finds our family at the Grand Canyon. We have never ever been there and were very excited as we approached this awesome and mind boggling hole in the ground! The weather was beautiful for us and the campground was VERY, very nice. This place too, also had showers (ALWAYS a bonus when you are camping for more than a night!) as well as laundry facilities, a fantastic and well stocked grocery store, a post office, a restaurant, and so much more. The nights were quite chilly, but the days nice and toasty warm. The sun shone beautifully, even while we watched it rain out over the vast canyon. We hiked down a ways into the canyon. NOT the thirteen miles to the bottom...but down a little ways and back up again. It was a neat experience and now we can say we have done it! I doubt that we will be able to talk Clara into doing it again! She definitely DID NOT like the hike down through all of the smelly donkey poop. She complained rather loudly all the way down through it and even more loudly on the way back up! Uphill hiking in the heat was NOT her cup of tea NOR her idea of a dream vacation. So...we hiked a BIT of the Grand Canyon...just the tip really...but that was ALL Clara would allow us to do...this time!

Travels

Our family has been on the road camping for the past 8 days. Our journey began with a stop at Oak Creek Canyon. Oak Creek Canyon is up by Flagstaff and Sedona and is one of our favorite places to camp as a family. It is a BEAUTIFUL place with huge trees, tons of shade, awesome hiking, creeks and streams, views that are just amazing...oh...and they have showers! We only spent one night at Oak Creek canyon as we had been there before and were off to other destinations. But our one night was just awesome and fun and the kids enjoyed it greatly! Here are some pictures of that leg of our journey!

Dorm Life

I just spent a week at the University of Michigan attending the World Finals competition for Odyssey of the Mind with my son. It was QUITE an experience! The accomodations were "rough", to put it nicely. The food was horrible. There was no air conditioning (which was not very fun the first three nights that it was in the 90's and humid). Then it set in and rained the last two days and went from being hot and muggy and sticky to being freezing and just plain wet. The toilets were GROSS, the water tasted like heavy metal, the bedding was scratchy and stinky and the towels they gave us were paper thin. They caught a bat up on the 6th floor (we were surviving life on the fifth). The souvenir shop sold these totally obnoxious horns to all the kids who proceeded to be totally and uncontrollably obnoxious with them. I was lucky enough to get to sit right in front of a child who had one at closing ceremonies. We had fantastic seats(NOT!) BEHIND the stage and up in the nose bleed section...so we already couldn't really see...the crowd of kids was excited and thunderously loud and I was lucky enough to have this stupid horn going off in my left ear every other minute. I was ready to shove it down that kids throat and then beat her dad upside the head with it for giving it to the kid in the first place. Not a great evening, for sure! Anyway. Home sweet home seems a bit sweeter now that we are back! Our upcoming camping trip is going to seem like staying at a five star hotel! I cannot wait! Life is SO good here in the desert with my clean house and clean toilet and soft blankets and edible food and my sweet family all around!

Blessings

We have company coming to visit us today and tomorrow. I am very excited about everyone's arrival! But before their arrival, there has been a GREAT deal of cleaning and tidying going on in this house. It has been a very busy few days (not that there are ever any really non-busy days!). Last night it was finally all clean, the kids were in bed, Chris was at the grocery store...and I had the chance to just walk around the clean house for a last inspection. What I realized, is that my house is covered up in absolutely beautiful pictures of our children. Most of those pictures taken by me! It was neat to walk through the house and really see them. I guess I take them for granted. And even though I took them, and framed them, and put them there, I think that at some point they just fade into the background of familiar home and cease to really be seen...by us. Last night...when all the worries of cleaning and whatnot were gone...and it was just me in my clean house, I was just really amazed as I walked through at what I saw and how it made me feel. I then realized that not everyone has this. There are absolutely gorgeous pictures of my kids on every wall that there can be (almost!). One day, sooner than I realize, my kids are going to be gone and this house will be clean and quiet...always. I LOVE knowing that when that happens, I will still have their precious little faces looking back at me. I love looking into those big blue eyes and seeing those crooked new little teeth coming in and their wild cowlicks...captured and preserved forever right there on my walls. I am so blown away that God would bestow this talent of photography on me. I was sure I was supposed to be a country music singer! I am so thankful that I can look and see my little blessings and their faces all around me, all the time. I realized (through my charity work) that some parents cannot physically get their child to a studio and may never have a wall full of pictures of their children...maybe not even one picture. Some can't afford to feed their children, let alone have their pictures made. I am not taking my blessings for granted any more. I am seeing my children, and their pictures in a new light today. Our family is so richly blessed that it transcends any possibility of me being able to figure it out. Blessings, blessings, blessings. Thank you God for opening my eyes so that I can really see and really appreciate the blessings that you have given in my life. Help me to be aware and recognize them daily and NOT take them for granted. And thank you for loving me enough to grant them in the first place. Thank you for giving me a talent that I can use and share, and that helps me put my blessings right in front of my face...forever.

More Picture Fun!

A Perfect Day

Yesterday, which was Mother's Day could not have been any more perfect! My family was wonderful. My children were precious and sweet beyond words, and everything was just lovely. After being showered with amazing gifts, as we got in the car to go to church and were backing out of the driveway, I noticed that we were actually leaving ON TIME...at the time that I like to leave...8:45 on the dot. I was thrilled. That in and of itself could have been my Mother's Day gift right there! I HATE to run late. It is a real issue for me! So that was awesome. I was actually seated before the service got rolling...that was awesome. The sermon...that was awesome. Mark spoke on Psalm 139 and how God is with us wherever we go, wherever we try to go...we cannot be out of his sight or his touch. He read the story of the Runaway Bunny, which is a story where a little bunny tells his mama he is going to run away. And the mommy says that if he runs away she will run after him. So the little bunny says that if she runs after him, then he will turn into a fish and swim away. And the mama says that if he turns into a fish and swims away, then she will become a fisherman and catch him and bring him home. So the little bunny says that then he will become a crocus hidden in a secret garden. The mommy says that if he becomes a crocus in a garden, then she will become a gardener and find him. And so on, and so forth. The little bunny comes up with scenario after scenario as to how he will get away...and the mother has an answer for how she will be there every single time. Finally the little bunny says "Awww, shucks. I might as well just stay home with you then!" And that's how God's love for us is. No matter where we go, He will go too. No matter what the situation we face, He will be there to face it beside us. We cannot be outside of His sight, or outside of His grasp or outside of His love. This was not news to me, by any means...but it was a great illustration and is one that will stick in my mind forever. Anyway...after church we all came home and had a quick lunch...then a quick nap! Then I got a great workout in on my treadmill, jumped in the shower and was done just in time for Chris' mom and stepdad to arrive. We cooked pizza (my ALL time favorite food) and had salads and angel food cake with fruit. It was yummy and just awesome. Then to top off my very awesome day, last night was the season finale of Survivor Figi. A day cannot get much better than that! Oh...the best part of the day....I almost forgot! My kids took pictures with me! They were all so cute in their green (happened totally by chance)! My kids NEVER want to take pictures. They are DONE with that since they have been subjected to countless trial and error sessions while their mom figured out her photography stuff. Anyway....SO cooperative! And GREAT pictures resulted! It was an amazing day...I think one of my very best ever!!!

Mother's Day

It is 7:31 a.m. on Mother's Day and I have to say that it has already been just incredible. I have three amazing and sweet and wonderful children and an awesome hubby to boot! Clara tells me "I love you all the way that my heart is about to crack open". I have been showered with amazing gifts and all sorts of handmade cards with the sweetest of sentiments! My sweet children presented me this morning with an obnoxious sky blue purse that has just been CALLING to me for a while now. The purse was definitely MY choice...not theirs! I just love it. It is totally unpractical and will match nothing I wear...but I just love and adore it! When Clara handed it to me I was thrilled! But very surprised when I took it from her and felt how heavy it was! It wasn't just a purse...it was giftwrap! Looking inside I found a new cordless phone set. Recently Ben left one of ours (it was a set of two) on the tailgate of my car and I proceeded to back down the driveway and run over it! The other remaining phone has never worked right since! It's stubborn to answer and just rings forever...despite the fact that you long since pressed the answer button and have said hello a dozen times! So THAT was awesome! In addition to the phones was a new Nikon Coolpix camera...it is SO tiny...with a huge screen for viewing...AND it does both pictures AND video!!! This is awesome because now I will be able to capture Max's Odyssey competition in Michigan for Chris to be able to see....hopefully! So...goodies, goodies, goodies! My family has been way too good to me today! In addition, the boys had made cards that have "chores" in flowers that I can "pick" for them. Ben had very sensible and useful chores in his bouquet...like scooping the dog poop, and cleaning the bathroom. Max, my other dear and creative son...took a bit of a different approach. His flowers say things like "Share a Starbucks date" and "Play with Clara". It very much matches his philosophy in life...less work...more play! They are so cute...I think I will treasure them forever! Clara brought home a new plant (victim) from preschool for me! I actually have managed to keep last years plant alive for a whole year now. IF you have been in my home, you might have noticed a scraggly, weed looking thingy by the kitchen sink. That's Clara's pot from last year. It is impatients. Granted...there are no flowers on it...and haven't been for nearly a year. Clara called them marigolds...even though they are impatients...however...when she says marigolds, it comes out as "miracles"...and the fact that they are still alive in MY house under MY care truly is a miracle! LOL! I seriously have the blackest thumb possible! Anyway. I have to go and get ready for church now. I am blessed beyond anything I could ever imagine! Thank you Lord for my sweet children and they blessing they are to my life. Thank you for entrusting them to me and allowing me the journey of motherhood! Life is good here in the desert!

Nightmares

Whenever Clara fails to get a nap in and gets herself overtired, she tends to have nightmares when she goes to sleep for the first part of the night. In addition to being overtired, a full bladder can also trigger these nightmare cycles, as can being too hot it seems. So...we put her in her bed, OUT like a light at 8:32 this evening. Today was a no nap day....along with having a friend over for several hours day, along with swimming twice this afternoon...along with an early and busy start this morning. So...it is 10:19 right now and Clara has already had three nightmare cycles. Two crying....one outright SCREAMING at the top of her lungs, disoriented, doesn't know where she is kind of cycle. This last time I finally was able to get her to wake up (this is ALWAYS a challenge with both Clara and Ben), at least a bit. I convinced her to try and go potty...and sure enough...her bladder was full. I also stripped her down out of her p.j.s as she tends to be a little heater box when she sleeps, like her daddy. I am hoping that I have eliminated now at least 2, if not three of the main causes of these nightmares...at least for tonight! I am sleepy and heading to bed and am SO hoping to be able to stay there until morning and not have to run up the stairs all night long! Life is good in the desert!

A Visitor!!!

I just got word tonight that my cousin is being sent to visit ME for her Mother's Day present this year! I cannot express how excited I am about seeing my sweet cousin! She lives in Kentucky and the two of us are just so alike...I can't imagine not having her close to my heart. Scott called today and said he was booking a flight for her. I have cleared my calendar...almost...and cannot wait until next Thursday! We talk on the phone all the time. We've laughed together, cried together, we've worn the same hideous matching outfits throughout our childhoods...we agree on child raising issues and both share a love of Christ. I have already told Chris that he need not get me anything for Mother's Day...because Wanda's gift is my own as well! I can't wait to see her and share a few days here in the desert.

On another note...my husband is just sassy. That's all I know to say about that right now. He's feeling rather entitled to things that he most certainly has not earned. I'll not elaborate further than that...however...there will be a conversation to set things straight before this night comes to an end on certain matters.

That said...life is good here in the desert.

She Reads!

I was beginning to think that Clara might be my only child out of our three that did not read at four years of age. Not that that would have been a big deal by any means. But of all of my three...Clara is WAY more verbal and advanced with her vocabulary....she just kind of gets stuff like that quickly. So I would have been surprised if she did not follow in the shoes of her two older brothers. I knew she COULD do it. She has known all of her letters and their sounds forever. She just hasn't really been interested in how they all come together. She has had some success at stringing 3 letter words together...with effort. So I had just kicked back to see what would happen. Then this week she wants to play school non-stop. So when it was my turn to play teacher, I wrote up a few simple sentences for her...just to see what she would do with them. She loved it...and within just a few minutes had sounded them all out just as easy as pie and was asking for more. She read "A fat cat had a hat." and "Sam had a bug in a jug." and "That pot is not hot." and "Pat the rat sat on a mat." and "I had a run in the sun." and "It was fun!". I was very surprised at how easy it actually was for her. Today she started the Bob books....she read the first three without effort. So quick and easy for her. Not that she doesn't need a little practice...she does...but for the most part she is NOT struggling. And the best part is that now that she realizes that she is actually reading real words and sentences...she is just THRILLED! So I am excited and proud for her. Now...she may be bored in kindegarten. Clara will actually be our first child to GO to kindegarten. With our boys we were homeschooling....which God is really dealing with me on right now....so they were home with me and working very much on their own level. I don't want to homeschool again. I DON'T. But I keep finding it laid on my heart. I will go absolutely insane if I take that on again...I KNOW that I will, and I know that I am a better mom to my kids when they go to school and work for someone else. See...the Lord...in all of His great and hilarious humor...granted me with two boys that are COMPLETE POLAR OPPOSITES of their mother. I like to get things done...the right way....in a timely manner...the first time around. My boys, on the other hand...tend to drag out assignments FOREVER and attempt to complete them with as few words and thoughts as possible. It's a frustrating road with them. Especially because I live with them and I KNOW how smart they are and I KNOW what they are actually capable of. So...we end up butting heads...more than a little bit! And if they aggravate ME the teacher in school in the morning, it tends to spill over into ME the mom after our school day is over...and I just stay grouchy with them all the time and frustrated all the time. So they HAVE to go to school. It is all so very clear in my mind. And if that is all so clear...then WHY do I keep finding this issue in my heart and in my head? WHY did I find myself in the education section and Barnes and Noble today looking at fourth grade skills? Doesn't God know I JUST started a business and it's already almost more than I can keep up with? How in the world would I school AND work? Not to mention that Chris would NOT EVEN be a little bit on board with that idea again since he knows how crazy it makes me. So...there is that. I have pretty much resolved that if I am really supposed to homeschool any of our kids again, then God is going to have to go through Chris, and Chris is going to have to come to me and say "Let's do this." with no promptimg from me. THEN...I will know it's God and that I am in no place to argue with Him! Besides...I think the boys are already smarter than me! At least Max is! So that's my life struggle for the night. And my
life triumph! I feel like I should homeschool my kids...despite the threat to my sanity...and I am busting with pride over Clara's new found reading skills. So...life is good in the desert!

My sexy is missing...

So...I'm in my bodypump class on Tuesday morning (that's a weightlighting class, for all those who are just clueless on that little point) and it's a new release, so I've been getting to know all of the new music. Most of the tunes on this track though, I don't know and have never really heard. Only two I think are familiar. Anyway. It's tricep time (which....my triceps are just a whole other blog entry in and of themselves!...I'm SO mad at them!), and these triceps just happen to be a little more painful for some reason I think this time. Anyway...to distract from the pain I started focusing on the words. And this track is set to Justin Timberlake's "Get Your Sexy On"...though our instructor likes to call it "Get your sexy arms". Either way...I'm out of luck! My triceps just seem to be expereincing "Failure to Thrive" syndrome I've decided. It's the only plausible explanation. I am there...I do the exercises...they hurt...so I know it's getting to that rotten little muscle...and yet...there they are...all flappy. Sigh...honestly...and this is what I really, really think...I turned 35 in September...but I think my body is dyslexic (my eyes escaped this tragedy thank goodness!) and I think my body has made a reversal of the numbers and now thinks that it is 53. That would explain just too much. The flappy, non-responsiveness to muscle torture...the saggy situation in other unfortunate places...the middle aged spread that just seems to be happening regardless of every single effort and tactic that I try. My bones and muscles ache and holler daily...I'm telling you...body dyslexia. Now...the good news...is that IF it ever switches back...say, in my 70's...then I'll go from being like 72...to 27. I could end up being the babe of the nursing home. Oh yeah. Get myself some perky boobs, some tatoos, some piercings...maybe some roller blades? Something to look forward to. In the meantime...I continue to battle the bulge (and the flaps, and the saggies, and...well the list just goes on). But back to my original point...the new track says to "Get your sexy on." Now...what exactly does that mean? I mean really. Cuz if there's a sexy suit that you can just slip into and...Voila! Sexy mama!? Then I need one. Somehow I doubt there's one out there....so that leaves me back at wondering how the heck one puts your sexy on. Is that like...clothing? Lingerie? Bathing suits (heaven forbid!), toenail polish? Bottom line here is...I think mine is just missing. Whatever it is...I'm pretty sure I don't have one. I've given this a lot of thought...and I think I'm pretty much over it. After all...when one is wise and 53 like myself, then sexy looks a lot different than when you are young and obnoxious. I imagine that just being on my own two 50 something feet, having no woman baldness starting and having my own original set of teeth and being in relatively good health for a 53 year old is pretty darned sexy. So there, Mr. Timberlake! Hah! And so...I am off again this morning to the gym. I will work and sweat and shape and sculpt these muscles of mine (whatever good it may or may not be doing). And I will work on those nasty little triceps of mine which are just bent on being wings right now instead of sleekly sculpted triceps. Perhaps I will try to remind said triceps that God did not create me as a pteradactyl...I am not a flyer...but just a regular old girl. Hence...enough with the stupid wing want to be's! So...for all of you who have your sexy and can put it on today...well, good for you. As for me...I'm off to get pumped!