Conspiracy Theory

What kind of conspiracy do God and LaRue have?
Yesterday was another whopper at church.
After realizing that Cinco was wearing LaRue's tutu (a nine-month-old in a 4T tutu), I realized LaRue had her dress unbuttoned ALL the way down the front flashing everyone. When I told her to button it, she took it off. Instead of setting off a screaming fit, I just let her stand there clad in only a shirt and pull-up (which was covered by undies??).
When I went up to lead the children's choir, she tried to follow me and was screaming when Cookie Monster stopped her. He yelled, "Mom has to go teach," which brought giggles from much of the church.
I'm sure everyone loves seeing us sitting in the fourth pew from the front. Last week, when her shoe fell off on the way back from communion she plopped herself on the floor and screamed "My shoesie. My shoesie!" Mind you, we were the first people in line, so everyone had to wait for her. When we returned to the pew, she stood on the seat. I told her to sit, she looked at me with a serious face and sternly replied "No." I tried to hide my smile.
It was a different story when later, she stood again. Again, I said sit. "No. No. No. No," she said seriously.
I snatched her up, took her to the step outside and had a chat. All the while, she sat there with her sweet little hands folded in her lap and her head down. That girl makes me laugh, while at the same time she drives me crazy.
I have no doubt God is using her to teach me about patience, the Biblical patience described in Galatians. Cause heaven knows I can't handle her independence on my own. And, seriously, just where does she get this desire for independence from??? (Stop laughing.)
I know God is laughing.

Just a singin'

Just yesterday I was watching TV with Cookie Monster. I know, you're supposed to limit the amount of tube time, but we just enjoying some cuddle time while it rained outside and the clouds passed by.
We were laying in my bed when his favorite show, "Mickey's Clubhouse," came on. Not only did he sing the theme song, but out of the corner of my eye I saw his arms moving about. He was doing the actions too. I just smiled and laughed so hard. I asked dad to come in. He laughed too as the entertainment continued. We've never had one of our munchkins sing as much independently. Dad on the other hand.... Maybe that's where Cookie Monster gets his talent.
He'll kill me for sharing this, but I came down the steps years ago (a couple of kids ago, 4 in fact) to find dad moving his arms in the air and singing to the "Wiggles" theme song. In his defense, he was not standing up dancing. He was sitting in the chair.
But, NO children were in the room with him! I haven't caught him doing that since. Maybe it's because The Wiggles are no longer on the air.
Hearing Cookie Monster sing the Mickey Mouse song is better than his other recent tunes:
-"Take Me Down to the Little White Church" -- this is not a Sunday morning singing tune
-"I'm Pretty Good at Drinking Beer" and
-""There's Always Something Going On Down in the Trailerhood."
Those songs would be compliments of the usual country stations we have playing at home. I, on the other hand (said with much boasting:), usually have KLOVE playing and from there he learned:
"My God Reigns."
Now, time to go teach him something new....
"Schlemiel, schlimazel, hasenpfeffer incorporated!"

And now...

They are putting a diaper on the kitten. The Princess quipped, "It's a good thing people don't have tails, they wouldn't fit in a diaper."
OK

It's a Beautiful Morning

Already, the five pack is fast at work entertaining us for today (if you want to call it that). I just heard Farmer Boy yell, "Don't throw scissors at me!"
Cookie Monster is standing on the counter, clad only in his pull-up that he wears to bed.
The Princess is standing on a chair, using a "grabber," trying to find a toy that was shot on top of the cabinets.
Maybe they should not have found the fruit snacks for breakfast. The sugar rush has already kicked in.
All this while dad is sleeping on the couch.

Indoor Plumbing

I guess Cookie Monster has decided that we don't really need indoor plumbing. A couple of nights ago, The Princess informed me he decided to go to the bathroom outside. He wasn't just playing outside and needed to relieve himself. No, actually was IN the house and went outside solely to take care of business. Let me preface this by saying, I was NOT home. Dad was in charge.

The conversation went something like this"

"Why did you go outside and go to the bathroom?"

"I was getting dressed in that room (the dining room)," he said, his hand held up and moving with each word, his head tilted to the side for emphasis. "I had to go. It was faster to go outside than go to the bathroom. I couldn't wait."

I couldn't help. I just burst out laughing.

What the heck? How can you argue with that logic?

Unfortunately, we live along a very busy road. So, while some farmers traveling by on the tractor might understand the need to take care of business outside, others might look twice.

Guess when I hear a horn honk, I better go running outside to investigate...

Made In America

It's amazing how much Cookie Monster absorbs -- good and bad. As we went to bed a week or so ago, he informed us: "My American feet are cold."
Really, sure they weren't made in China??

It's A Beautiful Morning!

You wouldn't believe it by the weather, but today was a BEAUTIFUL MORNING! At least that's what Cookie Monster told me. More specifically, as I was telling him (for the 8th time) to put on his shoes so we could leave for the track meet, he opened the bathroom door and said: "Mom, you're beautiful!" So sweet, he is such a charmer.
Even with the way he looks at us when he talks, he is going to have a way with the ladies. At the library last night I told him he didn't need to check out three chapter books (he just turned 4), he tilted his head slightly and said, "But they're Magic School Bus."
Yes dear, I know, you're cute and they are Magic School Bus books, but we just found one library book that went missing for over a month. Maybe next time.

Announcing....

I'm not quite sure where he has gotten it from, but Cookie Monster has started to announce when people do something in our home. This afternoon, he was announcing when I was cleaning. I wish that made me more excited to pick up the bag of garbage that accumulated in the Princess's "preschool" that has taken over our playroom/computer area. But I can't say it made a difference. If anything, it just helped me be a little less irritated that Cookie Monster was dragging out 3 toys for every 1 I picked up.
Last night at swimming, he climbed to the top of the slide and shouted, "Announcing (Cookie Monster)!" before he slid down. He cracks me up. I mean, "crackin."
Recently, when it was time to get a job done he announced "Let's get crackin'!"
Yes, Cookie Monster, let's get crackin' and clean this home.

No Heartworm Here

I guess we can rest assured tonight that there will be no heartworm in our home -- at least not in our little LaRue. Since she decided to eat one of our little Lily's heartworm pills, we can be sure that there will be no worms in her little body. Once I heard, "You ate what?" from dad's mouth, I knew there was a problem. Somehow, she or Cookie Monster got the pack of pills down from the cupboard and cut one open. Cookie Monster said he did NOT cut the package open, but I wonder when LaRue miraculously learned to cut a straight line???
Anyhow, we promptly called poison control. The kind lady was very helpful, but her inquiry into our last name at the end of the call made me shake my head.
"We need your last name and zip code so we can log the call." I should've said "Smith" or "Jones," but I was honest. Now I just wonder when the authorities will be knocking on our door, asking who is watching our kids.....

No Peeping!

Spring is finally here -- hopefully to stay! The kids had me hide sidewalk chalk outside tonight, since we don't have any eggs yet. LaRue helped me and afterward walked around saying "no peeping, no peeping." What made it even cuter was that she was wearing leopard print pants with a pink tutu and cowboy boots. Honestly, the outfit was selected by her.

And, surprisingly, she found most of the hidden chalk. Wonder how?

Now she is wearing pj's with feet and her dress shoes. Do we have a fashionista in our home?

His Grace

Lord, I'm praying today that would cover my children with Your Grace. I pray especially that you would cover all of my failings when it comes to raising them. Help heal any hurts that I fail to recognize or that I have unknowingly caused. Amen

Time to "water" the plants

So how exactly do you discipline a three-year-old when he decides to water the plants? Let me clarify, I don't mean just your regular watering.
I was on the phone out in front of our house when I looked over and Cookie Monster was standing on the front porch, pants pulled down, "watering" the steps and a stream was running down the sidewalk into the flowerbed. I squealed and told my friend what was happening. I knew I couldn't get out of the car to discipline him because I would have been laughing. I had to turn away so he didn't see my face.
Farmer Boy and the Princess were quite impressed. "Maybe it will freeze tonight." Maybe, but let's not wait up to see. Glad to see they've been paying attention in science. I bet their teacher would be proud.
I'm wondering if Dad would be proud too? The next morning dad got caught with his pants OFF. Well, he did have his underwear on. They were maroon.
At least that's what my friend said after she saw him taking out the trash when she dropped her children off. And it wasn't even trash day. Oh, and it was freezing that morning. About 25 degrees in fact.

Little "Bella"rina

The Princess and I picked up a tutu for LaRue this weekend. The Princess had fun playing dress up with her. How cute!

A touch of Grace...

Our little gift continues to grow and hopefully this week will be back up to her birth weight. She's been eating like a piggy!

Farmers wear pink

So just how do hot pink nails coordinate with cowboy boots and a green John Deere hat? On a boy? That's what Cookie Monster accessorized with today. Wow. That kid's a trip! Here's a pic of him with the Groundhog Day cupcakes we made and delivered to school.

Is he adopted?

Cookie Monster is so different from our other kids (in a good way), I'm starting to wonder if he's adopted. He makes us laugh so hard every day, even when he gets in trouble. Of course, we wait until after we discipline him and go in the other room to laugh. He totally lives up to the meaning of his name, which is "he laughs."
This morning, I opened up the bathroom door to catch him sitting on the toilet, painting his nails hot pink. He had just finished one hand. Not sure when, but at some point this morning he finished painting the other hand.
Last night as we watched hockey on TV, he informed us he needed his "texting phone" so he can text his girlfriend. Where did that come from? Obviously not dad, who is nearing the half-century mark and is excited because he just learned how to e-mail a year or so ago. And I text maybe once a month. We're thinking he heard his cousin talking about that when she visited.
For some reason, he feels the need to totally disrobe when he uses the bathroom. He also has to stay occupied by messing with whatever is nearby. Two days ago, that meant squeezing the ALL of the toothpaste out of a brand new tube.
This weekend he found an alternative to disrobing to use the bathroom: he peed all over a pile of clean clothes. Guess maybe that's my cue to fold clothes and put them away right after they come out of the dryer. That stunt, by the way, did NOT result in laughter (at least on mom and dad's behalf). That's one of the few times Dad gave a spanking.
Still, what lies ahead today is yet to be seen. Maybe I'll text him to find out.

God's Grace

It is by His grace that we were blessed with a new little one nearly 2 weeks ago. Enjoy the pix.

Cargo van here we come...

At least that's what people tell us now. I know they're just joking, but we couldn't be happier with the arrival of our little baby, born at 12:46 p.m., Monday, Jan. 18, 2010. She's perfect.

Finding out we were expecting her certainly caught us by surprise. It may have been a long 9 months, with 4+ months of morning sickness and another 2+ months of contractions, but the other four kids were troopers.

She arrived after a grueling c-section (for me) -- elbow first. The first few nights, I had to work extra hard to keep her awake long enough to eat. She occasionally reverts to that behavior nearly two weeks later. People ask how she slept through a basketball game at school. Seriously? She's used to the noise. The noisier, the better. Remember, she has four siblings she's heard for months.

We were worried how LaRue would react to the new addition, since she had been the queen for so long. But, surprisingly, she has been great. Her only demand is "Mine!" to let others know who the baby belongs to. She jumps with joy and claps when we ask if she wants to hold her. And she graciously offers the little one her babies.

Big brother is so caring and loving with her, cradling her and offering kisses. Big sister loves to dress her and Cookie Monster loves to help make bottles. They are all adjusting quite well.

Dad is busy with taxes and I think he finds it a little taxing when I ask him to take a night shift, but he's adjusting well. Maybe it's the thought of another tax deduction for the year that puts his mind at ease.

Actually, I think it's the words that he sent in an e-mail announcing her arrival, "the fifth and final" child of our family. Aren't you the one who (after four kids) said you were done at two??

Guess God thought different. And we love them all more than we could ever imagine.

Snow, snow, go away...baby needs to come this way!

We all have cabin fever here. Especially crabby mom. I'm trying to enjoy this pregnancy, especially since we -- I -- will be making sure this is the last munchkin that will protrude from my belly. But I'm getting very impatient. It's so bitter cold and with all of the snow and wind, it's really not safe to go anywhere. But the kids have been pretty good sports about it. They haven't been outside for a few days because it's so cold, but they've found plenty of ways to entertain themselves. Usually it involves LOTS of noise and laughter, but that's OK. The pix above show Cookie Monster being silly and LaRue having a tea party at grandma & grandpa's house.

I have gotten breakfast in bed three times this week. Today was my favorite. Cookie Monster proudly brought up the most nutritious breakfast ever:

-About 2 cups of mini-marshmallows

-2 chocolate chip Kudos granola bars

-4 caramels

-A can of diet Sunkist pop

At least the "diet" cancelled out all the other bad stuff, right? Actually, I got to thinking, is that really what he sees me eat for breakfast??? Daddy quickly snuck the marshmallows away and LaRue ate the caramels later today.

Cookie Monster is getting excited for the baby to be born, but did inform me he only wants a little one under one condition: "I only like boys, Mom." That's what he told me yesterday.

Well, at least that's better than the puppy he said I was carrying last week.