All I want to do is shower

Apparently the kids are at an age where if I want to shower, I either have to shower before Dave leaves for work or after he gets home.

Sunday and Monday morning, when I got out of the shower, I found Natalie in the office, messing with the computer - bad!!

This morning when I turned the water off in the shower I heard the noise of a chair being pushed across the kitchen floor. I released a heavy sigh, dried off slowly knowing that the next few minutes would be rough for everyone and then yelled downstairs, "What are you guys doing?" To which Noah and Natalie responded with silence. So, I yelled again, "I said - what are you guys doing?!"
Noah comes around the corner, stands at the bottom of the stairs and says, "We're playing in the cabinets."

That makes no sense to me - all the cabinets they are allowed to play in don't require a chair so I ask, "Which cabinets?"

He looks at me with no response. I think he was hoping I would forget that I asked that question in the 3 seconds I gave him to respond. Since there was no response, I asked again, "Which cabinets?!"

He replied, "The one with the marshmallows in it."

"WHAT?!?! You used the chair to climb on the counter to get in the top cabinet where the marshmallows are?!?!?!"

"Yes." (Because apparently, based on how he responded, that's a perfectly normal thing to do.)

Needless to say, they were both in big trouble. Natalie had marshmallow goop hanging from her chin and her hand closed tight around something. I told them both to come upstairs. Natalie, it seems, didn't want just a marshmallow but apparently a cracker, too. I mean, really, if you're going to go through the hassle of moving a chair to climb the counter to get in the top cabinet and be in trouble, why settle for just a marshmallow?

I cleaned her up, washed the cracker crumbs out of her hands and sent them both to their respective beds.

If they hadn't told me which cabinet, I would've figured it out... To their disadvantage, they don't know how to close a ziploc bag. When I opened the cabinet to get the peanut butter for sandwiches, I was showered with opened baggies of marshmallows and cracker crumbs.

So much for my clean shower that caused this mess to begin with - ugh!!!

2 going on 12

Natalie has been a little mouthy today. She's been talking back and has a bad attitude in general. About 430 I told her she needed to change her attitude. She said she was going to her room to play. I went to check on her about 20 minutes later and she was out cold on her bed. I tried to wake her but she grabbed her thumb and rolled over. She must be so tired! Maybe after a "to late in the day" nap, she'll have a better attitude and we'll have a better evening.

Back to the hospital

Waiting in the drop-off line at school:

"Mom, when will I be little again so we can go back to the hospital so I can be born?"

"You won't be little like that again. You're already born and once you're born, that's it."

"But I want to be little so we can go to the hospital so I can be born."

He points the two boys getting out of the car in front of us and says, "Like them. They're twins."

That's my baby

Natalie's getting mad because she wants to hold the baby. I hand her the baby doll and she says, "Not that one." I hand her another one and receive the same response. We get through all 5 baby dolls and each time she gets more and more frustrated.

I tell her that's all there is and she says, "That one" and points to the TV.

She's mad because she wants to hold Olivia's baby doll. "The one in the TV".

You drive me crazy!

We were driving home from dropping Noah off at school and Natalie said she wanted some chicken nuggets. I told her she could have some when we got home. She asked if she could have mustard. I said yes. She asked again, "With mustard, mommy?"

"Yes, Natalie."

"With mustard, mommy?"

A little aggravation in my tone since it's the same question - "Yes, Natalie"

"You drive me crazy, mommy!"

"I drive you crazy. You drive me crazy asking the same question 3 times in a row."

To which she responded in her sing-song voice, "Noooo!"

What do you want to drink?

Stacy and I took Noah and Bella to Reds Fest downtown a few weeks ago. We decided to take advantage of the "free kids meal" coupon we got so we stopped at Bob Evans for dinner. The waitress asked what Noah wanted to drink. He looked at me and I asked him "Do you want milk?" He replied (in all his "Noah glory"), "I would love nothing more!"

Okay, milk it is!

Coming to visit...

"Grampa, will you come to my house tomorrow?"

"I think you'll still be at my house tomorrow."

"Will you come to my house next time we go home?"

"Your house is a long airplane ride away."

"Yes - it is indeed!"

Other moms are cooler than me

Noah's first school program is Thursday. It's a Christmas program and I've kind of figured out which songs they will be singing because Noah will break out in a random Christmas song at any random moment. He'll sing a few words with motions and then go back to whatever he was doing before the singing moment struck.

I asked Noah what he did at school today. He said he practiced for his show. I asked him about his show and he said, "I can't tell you. It's a surprise."

"Well, can I see your show?"

"No, other moms will be there to see the show. You can't come."

Well, then... okay!

At dinner I told him to tell Dave what he did at school today. He told him that Dave that he practiced for his show. Dave asked if he could come see Noah's show. Noah said, "Sure!! You can come if you want to."

Well, then... okay!

Coffee drinker in training

We got a junk magazine in the mail a few days ago. Natalie asked if she could look at it. It's junk mail so of course if she trashes it, it's okay so I said yes.

A few minutes later she's yells "LOOK MOM!!!! Starbucks!!!"

I was so proud :)

Batman / Batgirl

Noah was playing Batman tonight and Dave asked Natalie, "When Noah is playing Batman, do you know what that makes you? That makes you Bat Girl!"

She was really excited and said, "Okay!" She took off running in the other direction yelling, "Base Girl."

"No Natalie. It's not baseball. You aren't Base Girl. You're Bat Girl!"

Money

I went to the ATM the other day and Noah asked what I was doing. I told him I was getting money. He asked, "To make stuff work?"

"No, to pay for something."

"But money makes stuff work."

"No. Not really. Money doesn't make stuff work. You use money to buy stuff."

"But money is power and power makes stuff work."

UUUMMMMMMM!!!!!!!

"Well, yes - technically, you're right. Where did you hear that? Who told you that?"

"Nobody. I just figured it out all by myself."

Hopefully we aren't raising the next Bernard Madoff.

Ever feel like God's trying to tell you something?

We've had a rough week! Sunday night Dave took Noah to the ER. They got home a little after 3 but Natalie was up all night so Dave and I are were pretty sleep deprived on Monday. Noah had a dr appt at 115. It was originally scheduled as a check-up for school but the timing was great because of the weekend ER visit. Dave went into work late so we both left at the same time. I headed westbound to the dr and he headed eastbound for work. About 3/4 of a mile onto the highway, the Jeep suddenly jerks. In an instant I think we've been hit but in the same second, I realize the Jeep has lost all power and I'm losing speed quickly. I merge over into the emergency lane. I call Dave who turns around and heads our way and then I call the dr to say we aren't coming. The kids did great as I stared out the window in a daze - why is this happening right now?!?! This is not good timing, God! Dave shows up and tries to start the car. Yep - it won't start. We load everything up into the Subaru and head home. It's nap time for the kids and goodness knows we need it. Dave drops us off, looks up the Jeep code on the computer to see what's wrong with it, heads to the parts store and then back out to the Jeep so see if he can work on it there or have it towed home. The Jeep starts!! He rushes back home and we all load backup into the car and pick up the Jeep. He takes the Jeep and we head home in the Subaru. We make it almost all the way home before it quits working again. We're in the subdivision next to ours so we're off the main road but not close enough to push it home. We head back to the house. Dave drops us off and goes back to the Jeep. He's trying to work on it but the engine is really hot and the part is hard to get to. After a few hours of back and forth, it starts. He jumps in and drives it home. He bicycles back to the Subaru and hopefully he will probably have better luck at working on the Jeep. It has started to rain but since the Jeep is now in the garage, the rain doesn't matter. By now, it's too late in the day to work on it given the late night we've had the night before. We decide that I'll drive Dave to work so I can have a car to take the kids to the dr.

Tuesday is, for the most part, non-eventful. Natalie is so sick but Noah is feeling much better. Natalie's temperature hasn't been below 100.3 since Monday morning. The dr checks her out and says that everything checks out okay. We have to wait it out. We leave the dr and I have an hour to kill before Dave gets off work. I take the kids to McD for apples and realize Natalie is burning up!! She's complaining that she's cold but I have no way of taking her temperature. I don't have any meds with her for her fever so we head to Walgreens. I give her meds and Dave calls. I'm really worried about Natalie - she's nearly comatose. Her eyes are glazed over, her mouth is open and she's drooling. Noah keep touching and picking at her face and she doesn't budge. I call the dr and they say I can bring her back in. I have to pick up Dave first and when she sees him, she suddenly has life again. We figure she's tired because she's sick, not sleeping overnight and has missed her nap today. When we get home, Dave works on the Jeep and gets it working. We hope!!

Wednesday, we decide he'll take the Jeep and I'll drive the Subaru. If the Jeep breaks down, it's better if he's stranded than if I'm stranded with the kids. Of all days, Noah decided to sleep in today. It's a school day and I have to be there early to review the paperwork & epi-pen instructions from the dr. There's no way we're going to be there early but, if traffic is light, we'll make it to school so he's on time or just a minute or two late. Given the last few days we've had, I don't care that he's late so we aren't running around as crazy as we usually are. We load up in the car and head to school.

About a mile and half down the road, I see something running along a tree line that is perpendicular to the road. There's a deep dip between the road and the tree line so I figure I'm seeing the top of a dog's head. I think he's running towards the road to bark at the cars so I slow down but can't stop because of all the traffic. I"ll hope for the best if he darts out. At the last second, a deer, not a dog, that jumps the ditch and darts into the road. There's nothing I can do. If I veer right, the kids and I will go into a deep ditch that will surely roll the car. If I veer left, I'll get into a head on collision with the truck that's slammed on it breaks to miss the deer. If I slam on my breaks, I'm sure the guy behind me will plow into me. I slow down as much as I can and brace for impact with the deer!

I take out the back legs of the deer and see it spiral through the air into the woods next to the road. I get to a spot in the road that I can pull over and call Dave. Noah asked if I hit a squirrel. I said yes because I am not in a condition to explain why a deer ran in front of the car. He heard me on the phone telling Dave that I hit a deer. When Natalie asked "squirrel?" Noah said, "No. Mom bumped a deer." Um - I think bump doesn't quite do it justice but again, I'm not in a condition to explain "bumping" the deer.

The car seems drivable so I turn around and drive it home but it's making funny noises. I couldn't tell from looking at when I called Dave if the radiator was broken. The temp stayed where it was supposed to so that was a good sign. I get home and Dave comes outside. I sit in a daze in the driveway while he unloads the kids. The situation is starting to settle in. We could have been hurt or killed. It could have been so much worse. At the same time, I'm trying to figure what happened to the deer. You couldn't see it from the road when I drove back by but the woods are pretty thick but so thick that I wouldn't think it would go in the woods, either. Where did it go - that will be the eternal question. As I'm sitting there, car still running, my mind processing the last 15 minutes, the car starts to steam. Well, at least we made it home. They towed the car the shop and we have a rental for the next 2 weeks.

I asked Dave to drive back by later to see if I could at least tell where the deer went. I couldn't see it but based on where, in the road, I was when I hit it, the deer came pretty close to hitting a telephone pole as it spiraled through the air.

The airbag didn't blow which I'm glad but why didn't it blow? Apparently, according to the shop, I didn't slam on my brakes and come to an abrupt stop which is what is needed to trigger the airbag - or something like that.

After $3300 in damage and 2 weeks in the shop, we should have our car back - good as new! Hopefully the Jeep won't quit again any time soon.

We're staying home today and "Yes, God? You have my attention and I'm listening!!"

A blubbering, watery, snotty mess!

Noah's asthma has been acting up since overnight Friday into Saturday. Today has been really bad. This is the worst episode he's had since he was diagnosed with asthma 2 yrs ago. We can usually manage it with a few nights of little sleep for Dave and I but tonight is different. Noah fell asleep on the couch so Dave and I watched TV and monitored his breathing. A few hours later, Noah woke up and looked at me. He seemed a little disoriented but I figured it was the state of confusion that happens when you wake up and it takes a few minutes to get your bearings. I smiled at him. He situated on the couch, looked at me again - still disoriented. I smiled again and asked him if he was ok. He looked confused so I put him in my lap and he started crying, coughing and still disoriented. He kept pulling on his tongue when he would try to breathe in - sort of like he thought his tongue was blocking his breathing. Dave went upstairs to get changed into comfortable hospital clothes while I held Noah as he cried and coughed. Noah finally got himself together and I told him "Dad's going to take you to the dr so you can feel better." Natalie is having "mom withdrawal" because I was gone most of Friday and Saturday so I knew Noah would be going to the hospital without me for the first time, ever. I start to tear up at the thought but shook it off quickly before Noah saw my tears. Dave put some stuff in the car while I gave Noah a few more puffs of his inhaler - just enough to get him to the hospital and through the ER waiting room. My eyes tear up a few more times knowing he is leaving without me but I did good at pulling myself together before Noah saw my tears. Dave carried Noah to the door and I fought back tears all the way through the kitchen to the garage. I kept it together until Noah went to give me a hug goodbye. With dog gripped tightly in one hand, his little lip started to quiver and he said, "Will you miss me?!" Needless to say - I lost it!! Of course I would miss him and in that moment, my heart was ripped from my chest!! So, here I sit - a blubbering, crying, watery, snotty mess all over our computer while I wait for news from Dave.

Things I Thought I'd Never Say (Part 4)

We were running late to get out the door the other morning. Natalie was sitting at the table and should have been eating her pancake. I was putting clothes in the dryer and said, "Natalie, eat your pancake."

She looked at me and barked... yes, that's right, barked!!

Things I thought I'd never say, "Natalie, stop barking at me!"

Earrings

I saw a ring about 2 years ago and wanted to add it to my wedding ring. I've asked Dave for it every chance I had. For our 5 year anniversary, Dave bought the ring for me. We are adding to the one I have so we have been spending a lot of time at Norris Jewelers. They have to design the ring I want to fit around the ring I already have. We've been there a lot - going over all our options and making sure we are on the right track and agree with what I want the ring to look like. They give the kids a pack of fruit snacks when we are in there and since we've been in there so much the kids have started calling it "the fruit snack store".

Tonight, Natalie was playing in her kitchen and found a ring toy of some sort that fit around her ear. She put it over her ear, walked over to me and said, "Ring. Pretty."

I said, "Is that your earrings like mommy wears?"

She said, "Uh-huh. Fruit snack store."

Well, at least the girl knows where to get good diamond.