Two-gether

This morning my children were up early. Far too early for my taste. But I have been thinking about them and their relationship and how it has changed recently.

Brother is at school all day now, so sister is alone most of the day with me. Bored.

But something else has happened. They have started sharing a room. It started during the summer when Son asked to sleep in Daughter's room and we made a big bed on the floor for them to camp out in. But somehow, she ended up sleeping in Son's room every night. Every night I ask her where she wants to sleep and every night she answers, "I want sleep in Brudda's room." So every night I put them to bed together and put the lights out, with only some quiet music to keep them company. I warn them that if there is any funny business, they will be separated. Not once have I had to separate them. Daughter's room is all but abandoned. Son has no longer had a problem with nightmares and they both sleep peacefully all night.

They have become inseparable. They were singing together as they read books before lights out last night, the songs they listen to at bedtime..."Hot Potato" and "Hickory Dickory Dock." And Son asked if we could have Hot Potatoes for dinner tonight. They pounded their spoons at the breakfast table this morning in rhythm together. They fight, of course, it would be unnatural if they didn't, but they are best friends. They miss each other when they are away from each other. I just need the key to keeping their relationship this way when they hit the teenage years...with each other and with me. These precious times will seem so short when they are grown, already they have flown.

The downside? Son woke up at 5:30, and since Daughter was nearby, she was about 5 seconds behind. Is it bedtime yet?

Sweet Child(s) O' Mine

Welcome Home, my dear ones. I have missed you so. I know it has not been that long, and I hope you had a good time, but know that your mother has suffered without you. Body and soul. I hope to be on the road upwards now. I look forward to seeing your two smiling faces as you call out, "Mommy!" and run into my waiting arms. Then maybe I can feel complete again.

Bubba and Sister

It is a beautiful thing to see the adoration grow between brother and sister. When Sister wakes up from her nap, Brother runs to be the first to greet her. He has figured out a way to get her out of her crib safely. The first time he did it I was a bit freaked out, then I stood in the doorway the next few times to see how he did it. Now I think I can trust him to be careful with her. I can't really describe it, but he manages to lower her all the way down without dropping her. And Sister just thinks he is the bee's knees(although I really am not sure where that expression came from.) When Son blows bubbles in his milk, Daughter has to blow bubbles also. When Son runs around like a wild man, Daughter runs right behind him as fast as her size 4 baby feet will carry her.
The shirt Daughter is wearing in the picture belongs to her brother. I have not had this shirt on a hanger in at least a month. It comes out of the dryer, and as Daughter is usually helping fold clothes, she snatches it and tries to rip off the shirt currently on her back as she says "shirt off." Then I ask her if she wants to wear her Brother's shirt, and I hear "no Bubba's shirt...mine!" So I put it on her. Then it hits the dirty clothes hamper at the end of the day. And repeat.
Son equally adores his sister. Whenever he sees a girly toy on tv, in the store, etc. he always wants to get it for his sister. He knows how to work the DVR. Several times a day I hear, "Do you want to watch Wow Wow, Sister?" (her fav. show which he looks for the w's to identify. Blows. My. Mind.)
When Daughter goes potty, she gets a princess sticker to put on her chart on the wall. She is so proud of herself! She yells "Gook, Bubba, sticka!" She wants to make sure he knows about her big accomplishment. I thought I'd share one thing I have come up with to(hopefully) nurture a positive relationship between them. Son often accidentally hurts her...knocks her over, runs over her, throws a ball too hard, slams her finger in the door. You get the picture. When he hurts her, I have him pick her up and hug her and make sure she is ok. I have noticed that sometimes "I'm Sorry" is so easy to throw out without showing true concern for the other person. So I have him follow through and hug her and comfort her until she feels better. Daughter has started to do the same thing on her own. If she does something that makes you say "ow" she will immediately hug you and say "Tarry, Tarry" until you say that it is ok. I hope that showing love and true concern for each other will continue to be a habit in all their relationships.

Baby-palooza

Tonight we had a family movie party. All of us in jammies watching a movie, eating pumpkin muffins, and staying up past(the kids') bedtime. Hey, don't judge me, it's Friday! Daughter was being such a sweet sister, and Son was being so patient. She insisted on sitting on his lap again and again...but then again, she was sharing her Carebears, so he didn't mind.

Then Daughter decided that she wouldn't rest until the entire couch was filled up with dolls. Believe it or not, she still has some left in her room at this point!
She has been struggling with going to bed peacefully in the last couple weeks. Before that, we'd tuck her in and not hear a peep. But she started really fighting it lately. It has been torture for my mommy ears to hear her yelling things like "Mom...Mom...Ow, Ow" and "Water...Water." So tough. But I eventually figured out that she was just saying anything she thought would get me to come into the room and pick her up. Once I figured that out, I had to steel myself not to get up, no matter what she said. If I picked her up, eventually I'd have to put her down again, and you cannot imagine the terrible screams I would hear then. I shudder to even remember.
So tonight, I told her it was time to go to sleep and she immediately began shaking her head no. I told her she could pick out one of her babies to go to bed with her. She had been holding onto the two in the picture above for a while and could not decide between them. So I told her she could bring them both, but only if she did not cry and went to bed happy. I then gave each doll a mini-lecture about how they had to go to bed quietly with no crying, too. Daddy and I kissed the three of them goodnight and tucked them in. And I didn't hear a peep.

Son's Sayings

I have to share some recent cute quotes from my little man:

Him: How did I get out of your tummy, Mom?
Me: The Dr helped me.
Him: Was there a door in your tummy?

and later in that same conversation:

Him: How did I get big?
Me: I made you.
Him:How did you make me?
Me: God and Daddy helped. (thinking...please God, help me now!)
Him: How did they help?
Me: We'll talk about that when you are bigger. (Much, much bigger)
Him: I'm big!
Me: Trust me, not big enough.

During a two-kid bath, we had a conversation about bath safety.
Me: You can't knock Sister down in the bath. You have to be very careful with her. If she goes under the water, she could drown.
Him: And she would die?
Me: She could...or she could get hurt. We love her and don't want her to get hurt.
then a few minutes later...
Him:I love you, my baby. I don't want you to die.

So many questions, but the answers are dwindling(at least the ones I can tell him now.)

Thanks

I know it has been a while since my last post, and I owe you some new news, so I thought I'd start with the thanks I have been giving recently.

1. Grandpa made it out of the Hospital feeling pretty good, he got to go shooting with the boys, which I'm sure was the highlight of his week. I am not so thankful for the little accidental fall I learned about yesterday, but he is still ok, so I am thankful for that.

2. I am thankful for the huge family we are a part of(seen here playing Yahtzee, Daughter got a huge kick out of rolling the dice!)

3. I am thankful that said huge family has evolved so we can be flexible with our holiday plans. The date on the calendar is not what makes a gathering special, it is the people involved. We did not have to eat three turkey dinners, instead having a fun fiesta for one of them! I think this one was Daughter's favorite, she had seconds!

4. I am thankful for this man and the loving husband and father he is.5. I am thankful for this handsome boy:6. Also thankful for this adorably sweet girl. (Seen here hitting up the Vitamin C...it's cold and flu season, you know!)7. Another huge thing I am thankful for is the relationship my kids have with each other. In good times and in bad, sharing candy and a ride on a bike...
...or a time-out that only one of them was given, the other can not bear to let their best friend suffer alone.When one is in pain, the other one cries with them. When one is in trouble, the other one refuses to play(or take their eyes off of them) until time-out is over. Son is an incredibly patient and sharing big brother, and Daughter is the little sister whose big bro can do no wrong.
8. I am thankful to have each of you in my life, and the time we get, however few and far between, to catch up with each other.
9. I am thankful my husband has a job, even as sad as I am that not everyone we know still does.
10. I am thankful for my house, my car that runs, my electricity, water, my heart that is still beating, etc. etc. These are the small little things that on every other year would probably not have made the list. But since this year we are much more aware of some of the things others lack, it make me more grateful for every little thing I have.

Grandpa update

Just thought I'd give a quick update since I have finally gotten to see Grandpa. My sweet big sis watched the kids the other day, and now L and I went and my mama watched them in the lobby so we could have a quick visit.
Grandpa is doing great. He is making lots of new friends of all the nice young nurses who take care of him. He is directing the phlebotomists as to which veins would be good to try next, then stealing the bands they have wrapped around his arm. He swears he is going to make an entire collection of slingshots when he gets out. As of today, I think he has 8 collected. As he told the poor phlebotomist today as he clutched the rubber band, "I'm keeping this, you're not getting it back!" And all the poor man could say was "ok, um, keep it to remember me by."
Also, somebody owes this man a pizza party! Apparently, they made a deal that when his weight got down to a certain number, he would get a pizza party. He found out what his weight was in Kilos, then had to ask around and finally called me to look up the conversion for him. He had correctly suspected that he was in the pizza party zone. Today after his angioplasty when we came to see him, all he could talk about was that he was supposed to have a pizza party!
L sent him a cap with the county logo on it(he collects hats) and I delivered it the other day when I went. He sent it home with the first person going because he did not want someone to get "sticky fingers" while he was getting his angioplasty. In the meantime, he didn't mind one bit leaving his laptop behind sitting on the table! That really made L feel good.
Anyway, while he still does not know how much longer they are going to keep him, you can take some comfort in knowing that he is staying as positive as I have seen him, and they are taking very good care of him.
Oh, and by the way, in case we were worrying about his lungs all this time, he says that he heard that our lungs are made to last 150 years, and hearts 100 years, so the heart is bound to go bad before the lungs. Of course, since he is as old as the hills, there's no telling when he'll hit 100. I have been praying, not for him to have more time on this earth, but for the time he has to be good time. And so far, it seems my prayers have been answered.

Grandpa O

Top Ten Things Grandpa has taught me:

10. He taught me to be a "worrier" and to take other people's cares as my own. 9. I cannot look at the cover of a western movie or book without thinking of him. 8. I love black licorice(and black jelly beans) because they remind me of him. 7. I love the combination smell of green tic-tacs and Groom 'n Clean, not because they smell good, but because they smell like Grandpa.
6. He doesn't like to have people spend money on him, but he shows such great appreciation for the thought. He taught my mom, who taught me that it is the thought that(really) counts. I remember her getting up and burning eggs on Father's day to bring to him because that is the way she used to cook them for him when she was little. 5.He can grow a fantastic garden out of old recycled bathtubs. 4.He taught me not to waste things, to find a use for everything(or keep it until you do!) Oh, they call that recycling now, don't they? 3.I started weight watchers thanks to his and my Grandma's inspiration and success. 2. He showed me the value of hard work, giving us jobs. Herding cattle, bucking hay...really...tough...jobs. 1. He taught me that even when things get tough, you can have a sense of humor and focus on the future. Even now, the biggest thing on his mind is getting his 4-wheeler fixed so he can cruise around when he gets out. Everyone who talks to him hears a new plan of attack, and I for one am going to do all I can to make his plans work out. By the way, does anyone know anything about ATV's?

Grandpa O Week

This week, for reasons obvious to those of you who know me, I am going to post about my Grandpa O. I was going to post all at once, but it was going to be way too long. So one day at a time, so to speak.

Top 10 reasons my Grandpa is John Wayne to me:
10. He looks like him(kinda.)
9. He is a polio survivor.
8. He was bucked off a horse when I was young, and landed on his feet.
7. That horse was still his favorite horse.
6. While healing from the knee replacement he had to have as a result of #8, he refused to use crutches or a cane. He managed to break a bolt that was inside his leg, half of it is still in there somewhere.
5. I kid you not, he feels no pain in his arms or hands. He will see blood dripping before he realizes maybe he needs a band-aid(or stitches)
4. He has got an endless supply of old-time cowboy stories. And the cars he used to own. And that broke down or he "wished he hadn't sold."
3. I really don't know how old he is. When we were little and we would ask him, he would just say, "I'm as old as the hills." (That is a true story!)
2. He used to name his cows after everyone he knew, according to their personality and looks. I will not name any names, but if a cow was ornery, he'd name it after someone ornery, and so forth. He used to have a cow he named Maria. He is not fluent in Spanish, but he swore up and down that Maria only understood Spanish. He would call to his cows, then a special Spanish call just for Maria.
1. He used to be a trapper for a living. He would trap coyotes and skin them. He'd tan the hides and sell them. Not PC nowadays, but back then there was no PC. Those who know him really well should recall the pet(two, at one point) that he kept in the old dairy. I won't be too specific here because I am not sure it was legal to keep Ralph as a pet(can't remember the girl's name right now)

I am trying to bring back memories of him for myself, as I have him on my mind a lot right now and can't go see him.

Surprise!

I was doing dishes this morning and had a pleasant surprise...my Dad! He dropped by to deliver some more firewood for us! He is super busy, but managed to find time to do this for us. I am very grateful not just for the wood, but him finding time to come over and bring it to us. Thanks Dad!

All A Family

Four heads are pressed together. One giggle, then another, then another until we are all laughing over nothing. "We are all a family," Son says. We are all piled on top of Daddy's lap for a family hug, as Son could not let Mommy sit on Daddy's lap alone. Of course, you know Daughter wouldn't be left out. So we all snuggled for a minute(hug and wait, as Son calls snuggling) and took turns kissing cheeks, then said goodbye to Daddy as he was off to class and the kids went off to get ready for bed. These moments are priceless, too priceless for a picture. One of those moments that would have been spoiled if I had broken it to get the camera, you know? But still one of the memories that must be documented before it fades. This is our family, and I feel it is complete.

Apples and my Mom

I love my mom, can I just tell you? She is such a wonderful example of selfless giving. She never ever brags, to the point of having too much humility. She has eight kids and still manages to help whenever help is needed, with much personal expense(monetary as well as energy.)

Example #1. My mom went with the kids and I to the apple/pumpkin farm a couple weeks ago for a field trip with Son's preschool class. My mom and I split a 40 pound box of apples, thinking that 20 pounds each was way plenty. Of course, by the next day I had about a dozen apples with tiny Daughter-bites out of them. She was getting into the box, taking one bite out of an apple, then putting it back and getting another one, and so forth. But I digress...

The kids and I went over to my mom's house to make sugar-free apple pie slices and bottle them. We were supposed to do her apples and mine, but she wasn't feeling up to doing all of them, so she worked and basically did all the work for mine, getting almost no "fruits" for her labor. We made a tiny bit of apple butter and I insisted she keep half of it, but other than that, nada.

Example #2. This is a dual example of both my parents. Both of our households have fireplaces as our main source of heat in the winter, so we planned a woodcutting trip together to stock up on wood. Working with more hands makes the work go much faster, and of course spending time together on the mountain is priceless. We went to get the permit for the wood, and could only get one cord(a measurement unit) of wood(we were hoping to split 3 or 4 cords.) My parents gave us ALL of the wood from the trip, since we needed it more than they did. They came and worked and drove their truck and did not get one bit of the wood. My mom and brothers J and B even came and unloaded it for us, since L is in class pretty much all day on Saturdays now.
So there you have it. I could go on and on about all the little things and big that my parents do for us, but I thought I'd just share the two most recently on my mind. These memories are huge for me. And also, I have to tell you one more thing my mom said to me as we were deep in conversation over apples. "...Just in case I never told you, I think you are very talented and beautiful." That is huge for her, if you note in my first sentence how humble my mother is. She still wanted to make sure that even if I never heard her bragging about me, that I knew exactly what she thought of me and how proud she is of me. She has managed to gracefully let me grow into an adult and take my own path without losing my relationship with her or her opinion of me. She still sees me for who I am and values who I have become. And that is incredible to me.

A girl after my own heart

I had always hoped that my children would inherit my love of music. And so far, they have. But it seems one of them is really taking to it like a duck to water:

You can see her tiny fingers spread out over the keys...that's my girl!

She climbs onto my lap anytime she is awake when I am playing !

She has to get her hands right in with mine...I let her as long as she still lets me play a bit!

When I pass by the piano while doing chores, she pats the bench and smiles up at me! I can read her little expression saying, "You know you want to take a break and play music with me, Mommy!" So tempting...

I Love Me

When is the last time you kissed yourself in the mirror?

When was the last time you were 100% happy to be who you are?
My new goal(I'd make it a New Year's resolution, but you know how well those turn out) is to be a good example to my children of a confident woman who loves herself exactly as she is every day. I am human(shocker!!) and I'm not perfect, of course, but I can embrace myself as I am. I want to teach my daughter by example to love every part of herself and not to struggle as I did for much of my life with a poor self-image.

Ok, so this picture doesn't go with my theme, but isn't she just too cute kissing the doll? I love how you can see her little lips puckered up...

Saturday Brunch

Our little family travels a LOT!! Almost every weekend we are going out of town for something, it seems. So we started a tradition of a nice, healthy breakfast eaten together as a family on the Saturdays we are at home. We say a prayer of thanks for the week we have all come through safe, happy and healthy(more or less,) and a prayer for the week to come. I had to take the picture before everyone dug in and made a mess!

On the menu this morning was lo-cal from-scratch waffles with sugar-free syrup, fresh fruit and ff cool whip. We are following weight-watchers unofficially, hence the lo-cal and sugar-free. Our kids eat the same foods as us and we are all learning healthy eating habits for life(I hope.)
In case you wondered about my recipe for the waffles, I'll share...here it is:

3 cups flour(all purpose, or whole wheat if you like)

1 1/3 cups powdered milk

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 T granulated Splenda(you can substitute 1T sugar)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup applesauce

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups warm water(more or less, depends on how thick you like it)

Mix ingredients together and make into waffles(or pancakes.) 1/4 cup of batter is 1 ww point, if you're counting. It takes 1/2 cup to make a waffle in my machine, so 1 waffle is 2 points. This recipe makes a ton of waffles, I freeze the extras for quick breakfasts for the kids. You can also add chopped fresh fruit to batter, such as bananas, apples, strawberries, etc.