The Dingbat Diaries, Boy Version, vol.2

We were at the Jiu Jitsu tournament for several hours last Saturday, and let me just say that sitting and watching other kids do stuff is not Quatro's idea of a fun way to spend his weekend. We arrived kind of early (yeah, I know, we're NEVER early) and Quatro begged to be allowed to stay out in front of the gym to play with the owner's animals (dogs & prairie dogs) and hang out by the picnic tables. No problem.

Until Darling Daughter poked her head out the door to check on him. She came back with an odd look on her face and said, "Ummm...he's not really related to me, is he? He's out there standing on a stack of tires waving his arms around cheerleading!!"

Well, as it turned out, no he wasn't. I asked. Oh, I had to ask. He wasn't cheerleading. He was practicing his airplane traffic directing. Standing on a huge stack of tires. While every other family came driving in. To see my 11 year old son flailing around like a nut.

At least he was entertaining himself, right?

Just Keepin' It Real

All of the other students in Darling Daughter's self defense class are at least ten years older than her, which doesn't bother her in the least. The only instance where things turn a bit awkward are when the conversation changes to subjects she knows nothing about. But Darling Daughter is nothing if not honest and she doesn't mind letting the women know when she doesn't have a clue what they're talking about. Take the other night for example:

The women began gossiping about the latest episode of The Bachelor. Darling Daughter's sparring partner (about 25 yrs old) turned to her and asked "What did you think?? Don't you think he should have...blah blah blah blah blah??"

Darling Daughter, having never watched a single episode, said, "I haven't got a clue! I'm more of a Disney Channel girl myself."

Sincerely 'Fro Me To You

A fashionista ahead of her time...

I'm not entirely sure if this photo is my grandma or my great-grandma. There's no name on the back of this copy, but it looks like the great-grandma to me. So let's go with that, shall we? (Sister or Lori, if you know who it is, comment me!)

Whichever one it turns out to be, one thing is obvious. We have been a family of trendsetters since the turn of the last century! This young lady displayed a sense of style that was oh, maybe a hundred years in advance of her day. Really. She's dressed almost identically to lots of small girls in 2009. Shapeless smocked dress? Check. Chopped-off hairdo. Check. Humongous hair bow twice the size of her head. Check! The only thing she's missing is a pair of filthy Crocs to complete her modern day ensemble.

Not sure why she's wearing her bracelets way up there by her elbows, but I'm certain it was cutting-edge, just like the knee socks!

To see other Blast from the Past photos, please head over to We Are THAT Family.

Wednesday Prayer Meetin'

On biting bullets and dodging them, too...

Deuteronomy 10:20-21
20 Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.

This week is full of praises!

First of all, I want to say thanks to everyone who left a kind comment or prayed for The Oldest last week. The Lord works in weird and wonderful ways. The Oldest has struggled with a decision over his college major for months now. He started college with the idea that he would go into some sort of engineering since he's excellent in maths & sciences. However, as the first semester came and went and the second began, he realized that he really wasn't interested in most of his classes. He definitely couldn't see himself staring at three more years of Advanced Chemistry! He has a longing to work in some sort of public safety field (BIG surprise there, right??) and as far as we could tell that wasn't going to be possible if he stayed at school here. Unless he found additional scholarship money, we couldn't really afford to send him away for two years.

So, as I sat reading your emails last Wednesday, my cell phone rang. (I almost didn't answer it, because I wasn't in the mood to talk and be cheerful.) A dear friend called with some information that her husband had found...and as it turns out Oldest can stay right here and complete the exact degree he needs. In fact he already has most of his core classes! All he needs to do is switch majors at the end of the term. He can even pick up a minor in a related field and try for an internship right here in town! His scholarships will be enough to get him through the remaining years with some left over to put up in case he wants to go for a masters.

HUGE weight lifted off a nineteen year old's shoulders. He can pursue his dreams and stay at home while doing it. And as an added bonus, he has finally gotten a JOB! He starts this week. Earning real money! Of his OWN! At a schedule he can work around his classes. Whew. Now his father and I just need to bite the bullet and come to terms with the fact that our son wants to chase bad guys and hunt criminals for a living.

And in even more exciting news...a little friend of ours named Seth has dodged his own bullet this week. Last week Seth's mom related to me that they had taken him to the eye doctor because his left pupil was dilated and not reacting to light. The eye doctor took a good look and sent them straight to Seth's Neurologist. (Seth is 3 and he has Cerebral Palsy, so he's already fighting a little harder than your average small boy.) The neurologist determined that Seth needed to have an MRI right away...she suspected either an aneurysm or some kind of tumor. An operating room was put on standby just in case. Fast forward to Monday morning...lots and lots of prayers later...and they found NOTHING wrong with Seth. Further tests will be done if this happens again, but he has been given the all clear for now!

What are your needs this week? Or maybe you have praises to share as well??

Hit me, Baby, one more time!

I may have mentioned that Darling Daughter began a self defense class a few weeks ago. Each Thursday night, when we return home, she has plenty of stories to share and new moves to try out on her dad and brothers.

"Daddy, grab me in a headlock and try to hit me in the face!" Hubby obliges, grabbing her firmly and stuffing her head under his arm. "Uh...no. Not THAT way. Only choke me a little bit so I can show you what I learned! Daddy! You're not doing it right! You're supposed to let me grab your arm from behind! Let go! Quit trying so hard! How can I defend myself if you don't cooperate??! Obviously you don't know how to do an attack. NEVER MIND! You're too big. Forget it!"

The problem? Well, she learns these moves and practices them in class...on women. They're not trying to hurt each other. They're only trying to learn how to do the techniques. In order for these moves to work for her, she's going to have to hope she has an attacker who uses the "Gentle Strangle" method. Or hope her Daddy's there to hold them in a headlock while she punches them in the face!

My own personal bodyguard

Look who's standing up there with a GOLD medal around his neck!

That would be the Pip Squeak!

Our family really enjoyed watching kids brawl with each other for four hours on a Saturday. I'm telling you, things got pretty intense. Ever watched a UFC match on television? Well, the families of these kids get just as crazy! Especially Darling Daughter, who sat right beside the mat and yelled things like, "Get his back! Get your hooks in! Don't give up! Push him off with your legs! Fight harder! CHOKE HIM!" The funniest matches were between a couple of five year old girls in the under 50 pounds division. Picture a petite little princess rolling around on the mat with her friend, her daddy on the sidelines telling her to "Use your skills...isolate an arm!" She propped her chin on her hand, looked up at him while sitting on her opponent, and said, "Daddy, I'm a little TIRED already. You wanna come do it for me??" Too funny!

Dingbat with a side of Chicken Wing

**You will kindly overlook the mess in the background of the photo below. I did not authorize teenagers having photo shoots in my messy kitchen on Valentine's Night.**

Darling Daughter isn't allowed to date until she's 16. There. I said it FOR her. Since I'm fairly sure she hasn't informed the boy who's been hanging out at our house for the last few weeks. Or maybe she has, and he's hanging around anyway. Whatever. The point is, she can have friends who are boys, but there will be no getting in cars and/or leaving our sight with them yet.

So basically, what it amounts to is that we've adopted another teenager. One who stays until 9 on school nights and until Hubby runs him off on weekends. He fits in well with my kids, playing air hockey with the twins and shooting hoops with them in the driveway. He appears to be a picky eater...with a stash of Pop Tarts and Mountain Dew behind the seat of his truck. He gets along well with our girl, too. Apparently he shares Darling Daughter's odd sense of humor. He's alresdy earned a nickname. He was flexing his muscles for her (I know!) when she told him his arms remind her of chicken wings from the Chinese restaurant. And he STILL likes her!

Go figure.

I never said she was charming.

Happy Birthday to Me.

We're attending Pip Squeak's very first Jiu Jitsu tournament this morning, so I'm leaving a lovely photo of myself, about age one, for you to analyze.

Things that are obvious in this picture:

1. My mother wanted a boy. Blue cord overalls? Big clue.

2. This photo was taken in 1972 when the popular trend in baby shoes was Hard and Ugly. Because clearly Baby would never learn to walk unless her tiny feet were painfully stuffed into wood and cardboard.

3. My parents wanted a pet. Take a look at those bells on my shoes. Shouldn't those be hanging on a cat collar?

4. Or maybe they just didn't want to keep up with me. This way my feet would jingle and alert them when I fell head first into the toilet.

5. I was destined for genius. Note the big head. The better to grow a big brain, my dearie.

6. Non-slip soles had not yet been invented. Hence the strips of tape on the bottoms of those ugly shoes.

7. Apparently I was bald for quite some time.

8. Also toothless.

9. Couldn't they have pierced my ears or stuck a bow on my head??

10. I bet those shoe bells would be considered choking hazards today.

11. And the buttons on the overalls, too.

12. If I were a year old today, I would probably be wearing Crocs, a smocked dress and a bow the size of my head.

13. I think I prefer the 70's.

The Force will be with them, always.

"I want to learn the ways of the force and become a Jedi like my father."

Luke Skywalker

Some kids are just born into it. Their ears perk up and their heads whip around at the distant sound of a siren. They can spot flashing lights from miles away. They spot the faintest hint of smoke on the horizon. Oh, I know all little boys push toy fire engines around on the floor and dress up as firemen for Halloween or Career Day at least once. I'm willing to bet, however, that most of them can't tell you what's on fire by the color of smoke wafting up towards the clouds. Most kids don't know what a "1050 structure fully involved" means. Most boys don't know how to pull water uphill from a hydrant through a truck. And if the truth were known, most of them really don't want to go tearing into burning buildings when they grow up. Mine do. Because it's bred into them. There's no escaping the power of The Force.

This is our great-great grandfather, Clarence. Clarence was a firefighter with our city department back when horses pulled the water wagons. When Clarence went to work, the firemen took turns sitting atop a tower downtown keeping an eye out for smoke. I'm betting they didn't save too many homes back in Clarence's days on the department, but he sure looked handsome in his uniform. I'm told he was quite a lady's man...even though he was married. I'm also told he drank a lot! In fact, great-great grandaddy Clarence showed up drunk at the firehouse one day. As punishment, he had to paint the whole tower by himself. He ended up falling off the scaffolding and limping for the rest of his life.

Fortunately, the city hadn't had enough of our family yet. In keeping with tradition, our Grandaddy joined the same fire department upon returning home from World War II. Grandaddy was a fireman in the days when they had truck, but no air packs. Firemen just held their breaths and ran in! He recalls pulling fellow firemen out of buildfings and lining them up on the ground, unconscious from breathing in so much smoke. In fact, when Grandaddy had his first open heart surgery, the doctors thought he'd been a life-long smoker. He'd only smoked a little during the war, but his lungs were blackened from inhaling years of smoke in fires. Grandaddy became a city Fire Inspector...which really came in handy during Fire Safety week at school each year. I got to bring in all sorts of cool pencils and coloring books to my classmates! I don't think it hurt my chances much when I wanted to be a school Fire Marshall, either. You don't turn down the Inspector's granddaughter.

Naturally, my sister and I grew up to marry firemen. Yes, both of us. I actually MET my hubby at a fire station. (Don't ask me what I was doing hanging out at a fire department at 15 years old. I never claimed that my parents were all that smart!) Hubby joined the same city department when Darling Daughter was just a tiny baby. My daughter rode on an ambulance for the first time at the age of three months. She wasn't sick...it was a parade. She hasn't expressed any interest in flame-dousing herself, thank heaven! She does shriek and beg to ride along when the calls go out, though.

Like I said, if their born into it, you can't keep them out of it. Now the Oldest is putting photos like this one up on his facebook that make me want to yell, "Don't go into the light! Keep away from the light!" Yes, seeing your baby stand within yards of a wall of fire WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE does wonders for a mom's sanity.



I'm grateful that my twins seem to have developed a healthy sense of fear when it comes to fire. If the smoke alarms go off, they're on their bellies heading for the door! They'll run back inside in a flash, but at least they run out first! I guess if they're going to have a driving force, I'm glad it's an honorble one. I'm glad to be married to a man who's willing to put himself in danger to help others. And I'm proud to have a son who's willing to do the same.

Happy Birthday, Hubby! You still light my fire!

Sincerely 'Fro Me To You

OK, before you call social services, I can explain. See, when this photo was taken I had a three year old hurricane of a daughter, I was baby sitting another three year old part-time as well as keeping a newborn nephew, AND I was expecting twins. Which means that I spent most of my days parked on the sofa balancing a baby & bottle in one arm, a puke bucket in the other, trying to keep my girl and her buddy from killing each other with the Sock 'Em Boppers. (Seriously, Darling Daughter loved whacking unsuspecting people in the head with those things.) Consequently, when the Oldest child got bored on a warm spring day, I said something like, "Go dig a hole." And he, being the ever obedient son, well, he did!

If you'd like to see other photos that won't make it into a family album, please click HERE.

Wednesday Prayer Meetin'

Do you remember being nineteen? Nineteen is hard. Nineteen is a time of waiting. You've outgrown childhood, but you don't have a clue what's next. You've entered college, but you don't know what you're supposed to be. You've taken on new responsibilities, but you aren't sure you can handle them. You've earned new freedoms, but you're not entirely sure you want them.

Nineteen answers mostly to itself. Mom and Dad are there to offer advice and counsel you, but your decisions are up to you. At nineteen you are sick of school, but not finished with it yet. You still have more to learn about academics, life and yourself. You change direction like a weather vane in a tornado. You've accomplished your high school goals, but what comes next? You're not sure who you're going to become and where you're supposed to go. You're full of dreams, but not certain which ones you should work on first.

This is the place my oldest son is in now. He's a little stressed and a lot confused. He's proud of his achievements so far, but unsure of what he wants to achieve next. He's struggling with doubts and thinking of changing his major. He's trying to put it in God's hands and continue working hard while he waits to see what path he should take.

Would you say a prayer for my young man while he waits? He trusts the Lord to show him the way, but I know your prayers will help settle his spirit. He needs that right now. Nineteen is hard. Do you remember being nineteen?

What are your needs this week? Please add them in the comments.

Book vs. Play

When she was in middle school, Darling Daughter was in chorus. They put on a performance of High School Musical in the spring of the year and they did an amazing job for a group of 13 yr olds. It was wonderful.

One of the other musicals that they learned that year was Wicked. In case you haven't heard of it, Wicked is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West...her point of view. I have never had the opportunity to either read or see the play, but Darling Daughter LOVED it! She and her friends sang the songs from it for months. My mom and step-dad recently took a trip to NYC and saw the musical on Broadway...and they came back gushing about how much they liked it, too.

So, naturally, when The Hubby and I went to Books-A-Million for Valentine's Day (Yeah, I know, but we like books, ok?) and I happened to see Wicked the book by Gregory Maguire, I bought it. I looked forward to enjoying Elphaba's side of the story.

Only, umm, well it seems the play was only LOOSELY based on the book. Because most of what occurred in the book wouldn't be allowed on a Broadway stage. More likely it would be going on in a dark, creepy room full of weirdos in a back alley somewhere! Initially, I was stunned that the drama teacher actually let a bunch of 8th graders read this stuff. If I had read the book first, I would have protested very loudly! But of course, the play is really nothing like the book, so it was perfectly safe for kids.

It did get me thinking how often a novel is adapted to movie form and it loses something in the process. I would rather read Tuck Everlasting or Dracula any day. And I'd have to say the same about the Harry Potter books, although we did love the movies, too. This time around, though, I would probably stick to the play. The book was definitely more intense, more violent and more...adult themed. It was good and I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't let my daughter read it.

Sorry, Darling Daughter, but you won't be reading the book version of Wicked. I'm putting it away. We'll bring it out when you're 30. If your lucky.

Out of House and Home

I guess we weren't thinking clearly when we ordered our children. Oh we thought we had planned it all very carefully. Spacing the kids out by three and four years and having a girl in the middle. Ensuring that we would never have FOUR teenagers in the house at the same time. You see, the Oldest will be almost 21 years old by the time the twins turn 13. The grocery bill should have stayed somewhere in the same ballpark, trading one football player for two ravenous boys. We assumed that Oldest would be eating the majority of his meals at college or dining out with his buddies by then...and in that at least, we were right.

What we weren't counting on, however, was giving birth to a boy who has two hollow legs. And seems to be infected with a double-headed tapeworm. A boy who, at the tender age of eleven, has single-handedly added to the food bill around here and increased my trips to the store by threefold.

I have never seen a kid eat like Quatro. When I wake up on weekend mornings, I tiptoe through the house trying not to wake him. Because the instant his eyes open, his stomach begins to growl. Hunger takes over his every waking thought. "Mom, can I have a bowl of cereal and two bananas while I wait for you to cook breakfast?" "How many pancakes do I get?" "Can I have a yogurt and 25 grapes for a snack?" "She didn't finish her pancakes, can I eat them?" "What's for lunch?"

I have to limit him to three meals and 35 snacks a day because otherwise we'd have to take extra jobs and sell a few cars to keep food on the table for the rest of us. One weekend the Hubby decided to let him have whatever he asked for all day long. He figured by midday, Quatro would be sick. No such luck. By dinner time he had eaten his breakfast, an entire box of Ritz crackers, three bananas, an egg sandwich, several yogurts, and a box of Pop Tarts. I wish I was kidding. And he doesn't get any rounder...only taller.

I'm thinking about setting him up on the street corner with a sign asking for donations. If you ride by and see him, just chunk some apples and a few boxes of cereal his way.

** Thanks for all of your prayers last week. Monkey in the Middle is out of the hospital and slowly gaining back the strength to fight with his little brother over the Playstation. **

Random stuff with some hope thrown in...

"But our hope endures the worst of conditions

It's more than our optimism

Let the earth quake

Our hope is unchanged"

Natalie Grant

Well, the little Monkey has perked up some today. No results back yet on the CT scan they ran on his sinuses...in fact, no doctors have been in yet this morning...which is weird. I'll be entertaining the munchkin this afternoon with Valentines, Go Fish, Old Maid, and water guns to ward off mean nurses. Hopefully there will be more information...

We are blessed to have this wonderful Children's Hospital in our area with a caring staff and top-notch doctors. It's the hospital where my twins were born, spent their NICU months, attended therapies and had their surgeries. The atmosphere is welcoming and kid-friendly. And we certainly know our way around. I have nothing but respect and warm feelings for the place...and yet, going there makes me ill. Parking in the parking deck makes me nervous. Going up the elevator and onto the unit with it's sights, sounds ans smells...ugh. I can't describe it. I hope I never have to be there with one of my kids again. I'm glad it's there...but I want to stay away. Far , far away!

Anyway, on to other news:

Maybe I shouldn't divulge this in public, but I've waited long enough. Darling Daughter has an adorable new boyfriend! He's 6'1", a senior, smart, and was just offered a spot on both the football and baseball teams at a Christian college in Chelsea's town, and he will be known here as Chicken Wing. It's an inside joke. He's taking her out for Valentine's Day tomorrow evening. (No, we didn't bend our "No Dating Till 16" rules, her brother and his girl are taking them. You didn't really think I was letting my baby girl get in the truck with a boy?? Come on!)

The Oldest has had yet another job interview...and is scheduled for another next week. At the SAME place!! Apparently getting hired on at the local Large Chain Home Improvement Store is equivalent to working for Homeland Security. All fingers are crossed and prayers are being said that he will actually GET the job since he's wasted several tanks of gas going and talking to these nice people. A little money of his own would be terrific. He could pay for his own haircuts every three weeks, at least.

As for the twins...things are not going well for them. It seems the second half of fifth grade is WAY harder than the first. All of a sudden my two intelligent boys are bringing home F's. Quatro is currently failing Reading (the kid reads above MY reading level) and the Pip Squeak is failing Math. Math is definitely a struggle for Pip, and he IS trying. Negative numbers and dividing decimals are killing him. I'm not going to stress too much about it, though, since our local school system is headed down the tubes with financial trouble, cutting programs left and right, and I plan to homeschool the boys next year anyway. Not that I'm a math genius myself, but maybe a little one-on-one will help.

My grandparents are driving me batty on a daily basis. They won't call me for help with things like grocery shopping, and so I drop by to find them trying to carry 20 pound bags of potatoes in from the car. But they WILL phone because they lost the dustpan and can't finish sweeping. I love them both to pieces...especially Grandaddy (shhh, I didn't say that) and I would do anything they ask...but they ask for weird stuff! The compensation is great, though! This week I earned two gallons of milk, 30 coconut/banana Fuze drinks and about a 20 pound bag of nasty old wilted lettuce. Lord love 'em!

I think I have made peace with our upcoming trip. If I can just get through the airplane ride and get off the plane safely in St. Thomas, they'll be handed out samples of rum at the gate! I'm ready to get out of here now!

Update

Just a quick note...the Monkey doesn't seem much better yet. He was still running fever around 103 while I was at the hospital today, and he basically slept for hours. They've done tests for all sorts of things and will be doing a CT on his sinuses this afternoon. That's all I got for now!

Still Sick

So the little turkey was admitted Wednesday afternoon for ivs and tests. Please continue to pray for him and his mommy and I will keep you updated.

Wednesday Prayer Meetin'

**Updated to add...Monkey is being admitted to the Children's Hospital as I type this. Please remember him in your prayers. And his mommy, too.**

"...pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children..."

Lamentations 2:19

The verse and song I've chosen for today's Prayer Meetin' are very special to me. I was driving home from our local Children's Hospital on a very dark, cold night in March 2001 when this beautiful song came on my car radio. I cried all the way home. I sat in the driveway and balled until I couldn't breathe. I prayed through my tears and begged God for help. At that time our precious little Pip Squeak had been in the hospital for several days and the doctors weren't sure what was wrong with him yet. He had lost the ability to sit, could barely speak and was receiving oxygen to help him breathe. He had been completely dehydrated when he was admitted and had been put through blood work, CT scans and a spinal tap. And he wasn't getting better...he was getting worse. I was terrified like I had never been before. Something about the song, though, helped me to just give it all over to God. As I sat in my car, bawling my eyes out, I pictured myself laying my three year old son at God's feet and letting Him take control. Because God loves my children more than I can ever imagine loving them!

I know my sister is familiar with that feeling of helplessness a mom has when her baby is desperately ill and it's out of her hands. When Monkey in the Middle was two, he had Kawasaki Syndrome and we almost lost him. Of course, he turned the corner, got better and grew into a healthy five year old with a killer grin. I asked for prayer for him on Monday because the Monkey has an infected lymph node. Well, the lymph node is a tiny bit better, but he may have pneumonia now. He's just miserable and running a fever and coughing and feels rotten and he's pitiful in the way only five year old boys can be.

So...I'm pouring out my heart before the Lord for my nephew and asking you to do the same.

If you have any prayer requests, please leave them in the comments and my readers (all 6 of them) and I will pray with you, too!

Attention, please!

What could be cuter than a little boy who's lost his first tooth??

Allow me to introduce you to my nephew. He's my sister's second son. She has three of them just like me! Until she makes up a bloggy name for him, I'm going to call him Monkey in the Middle. He's five years old. And he needs your prayers.

He's been sick off and on since Thanksgiving and on several antibiotics. Now he has an infected lymph node and his neck is so swollen and painful! He almost looks like he has the mumps, but he doesn't. He's had a shot today, and the doctor has said that if he isn't better in the morning he may be admitted to the hospital. She said something about iv antibiotics and even draining the lymph node. No little boy wants to go through that.

So please, pray for this little Monkey. And then, when he's better, I'll share his Fonzie picture with you...if my sister says it's ok.

A Monday Morning Mess

"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go."
Hamlet (III, iii, 100-103)

My thoughts are jumbled today. Ifeel like I'm running from something, but I'm not sure what it is. The past week has flown by as we get ready to fly out of the country for 12 days and leave the kids behind. Although I want to go on this trip, and I know we'll have a wonderful time...something is nagging at me. I keep getting the feeling that we shouldn't go.

I know the kids will be fine. Their grandmother will probably have them fattened up nicely by the time we return. They aren't babies anymore, and can fend for themselves if they need to. But still.

The date has been changed for the Father-Daughter Ball. We won't be here. The Oldest (and sweetest big brother on earth) has offered to take Darling Daughter to the dance instead. It's not the same. She says she's ok with it, but I don't think I am.

The Beta Club induction ceremony will take place the day after we fly out. Again, she says she's ok with it.

The Oldest will begin a new job.

The twins will miss their school talent show.

Did I mention that I don't like flying?

Or being below deck on a boat while sleeping?

The Hubby's job...well, they're cutting out all overtime and laying off many. He shouldn't have any reason to worry about this job, but what if we need the money we'll be spending?

I just can't get happy about spending ten days on a boat in the Caribbean. What's the matter with me?

Could you pray about a few things for me, please?

1. That I will have peace that we're supposed to go ahead with our vacation and everything will be fine.
2. That the kids will have a great time with their grandmother and things will go smoothly here while we're gone.
3. That my girl will have a terrific evening with her big brother at the dance her daddy is supposed to take her to.

There is too much on my mind this week, and I just can't seem to get myself quiet and pray. I find myself keeping busy with nothing instead. I know that I need to sit down and give it all over to God, but I can't. I need to worry. Stupid, I know. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Bad Guys (and teenaged boys) Beware!

Darling Daughter began a ladies self-defense class last night at the Jiu Jitsu gym...and need I tell you...she LOVED it! She's in a group of woman mostly in their early 20's with a couple of older ones thrown in for good measure. So basically, she's the youngest one there. And the most flexible. (Those cheerleader genes, I guess.) And hyper.

Last night she learned how to get out of a headlock, throw someone down on the ground, and how to get out of a situation of a bad guy has you on your back on the ground. Also what to do if he has your face smushed on the ground. She had so much fun practicing her new moves...and throwing the instructor on the ground. Now she wants to practice on her brothers. After five weeks of this, she should be able to take care of herself pretty well. I hope. Cause the time is coming when we'll have to let her date. One of these days. Eventually. Without her older brother tagging along as chaperon, I mean.

I Got Nothing

My mind is blank today. I have no interesting stories that I can share. That is to say, there are interesting things going on around here, but I am not at liberty to discuss them on my blog. Plus also I have to find our passports and decide if I need a new bathing suit or want to just wear the old ones an hope I don't get harpooned by a passing boat.

So...enjoy the video above. Brain Regan cracks us up! Probably because he reminds us of a certain twin who shall remain nameless. A twin who leaves me presents like this in the middle of my kitchen floor:

Wednesday Prayer Meetin'

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

The photo above was taken in the late 1930's. It's a group of children who lived in an orphan home in Cincinnati, Ohio during the Great Depression. The little boy in the middle row, fourth from the left, in glasses and overalls...that's my grandaddy. To his right is his little brother. They were placed in the orphanage when their father was run over by a train and killed. Their mother was unable to care for four small children by herself, so she gave up three of them and kept only the baby. Years later she remarried and got her children back, but it was a hard life with their new step-father and his children and a few new babies...eleven kids in all.

When Grandaddy was a teenager he left home. He found work on a farm and the family took him in. He came to love the family on the farm as his own. They fed him and cared for him...and they took him to church. When Grandaddy first went to live on the farm, he was what he describes as "unruly". He cussed, lashed out in anger, and got into fights. He didn't want to go to church with the farmer and his wife. They took him anyway, letting him sit in the back and pout. And the Lord worked in his life. Through that small church and that loving family that took in a lonely teenaged boy, the Lord worked on Grandaddy. He was saved and grew up to become a preacher. (I would never refer to him as a pastor...he's a true, Bible-thumping, pulpit-pounding, good old-fashioned Preacher...and believe me, he can preach for hours!) The lost boy who didn't know what his future held now looks forward to the day he will go to his eternal home.

No matter what your situation at this moment, God has a plan for you. God knew that little boy in the orphanage without a family was going to enjoy a large and loving family of his own one day. He already knew the heartache Grandaddy would endure, but out of that angry young man came a preacher that lead many to love God. Put your trust in Him. He never promised we wouldn't go through painful times, but He did promise we wouldn't go through them alone.

Prayer requests for today:

A young couple in our area was in a terrible accident Saturday night. Someone was going the wrong way on the interstate and hit them head-on as they drove home from a movie. The girl is in bad shape and is going to be hospitalized for quite a while. Please pray for their healing.

Also, please pray for my other grandparents. They just don't need to be on their own any more. Pray for my aunts and dad to reach some sort of a decision regarding their care. It's just scary how much they need to have someone there caring for them!

Please remember Myah as well. She's had enough of hospitals and surgeries this week. She needs your prayers! You can follow her story through Chelsea's blog at Gour Family Adventures.

How about you? Please add your requests in the comments.

A New Discovery

After the second quarter of the Superbowl on Sunday evening, there was a series of commercials that aired in 3D. The Oldest's girlfriend brought several pairs of 3D glasses over, thinking the twins would get a kick out of watching 3D in the living room. We all put on the glasses, laughed about how stupid we looked and how this was probably a secret government trick to brainwash us all during the Superbowl. Can you imagine how goofy millions of Americans looked, sitting in their homes waiting for a Disney commercial with red & blue paper glasses stuck to their noses?

Anyway, the Pip Squeak kept complaining that he couldn't fit the 3D glasses over his own glasses very well, but he couldn't take his glasses off because then he wouldn't be able to see. We helped him arrange the 3D's on his face several times. He kept asking why there was a red lens when only the blue side worked. That's when it occurred to me. Pip Squeak doesn't have binocular vision in the first place...which we already knew. Therefore he probably wasn't going to be seeing any of the 3D stuff, since it requires your eyes to merge the red and blue together when looking at the image.

And that's exactly how it happened. All he saw was a blue commercial. It was a little disappointing for him. I guess he'll never know the excitement of Jaws leaping off the screen to bite off his head. At least he can SEE well, and would know if a shark was coming after him in real life. That's what really matters.

The Princess' New Ball Gown

The Father Daughter Ball is in about 19 days, and Darling Daughter is in Full Princess Mode already.

Her new gown arrived last week. It's a gorgeous color and so beautiful with beads and sequins and everything. I think it sort of looks like Belle's dress in Beauty and The Beast. I guess the Hubby gets to be the Beast! I can't wait to take pictures of her all dressed up for her night. We still have to decide what to do with her hair...leave it down and curly, put it up, straighten it, do something elaborate...give me some opinions. Please.

(Please disregard the wadded up plastic at the top of the hanger, I didn't want to edit out any of the dress. If you click the pic it will enlarge and you can see the details better.)

Naturally, with a dress this pretty, she wants to go to prom! And her Daddy says, "NO." Not this year. She has to wait until 11th grade to go. I would be a little more inclined to let her go IF we knew the boy really, really well and he took her straight there and came right back and they had a police escort and a chaperon. But she'll still have the dress next year.

Weight Loss Monday Stats of the Week:

Height: The same. I haven't grown any taller, nor have I shrunk.

Weight: 158

BMI: 27.1

Exercise: Almost none due to grandma's surgery and my possible ulcer. PAIN!

Diet: Much better...lots of freah fruits and vegetables this week. Even the kids are loving it!
New Tricks: Acai Berry. Wow! My new best friend. That stuff works!

Oh, and Happy Groundhog Day!

The Dingbat Diaries, Family Version

The setting: Our house
The time: Approximately 11:15 pm
The date: Sometimes last week
The characters: My kids and their daddy

The Oldest had just turned in for the night, but hadn't yet fallen asleep. I had just drifted off. All of a sudden, the burglar alarm began going off with a horribly shrill, ear-splitting noise.

My reaction? Jump out of bed, run down the hall and turn it off before the monitoring company called and the cops showed up! (I know, I know, running down the hall into a possible burglar was stupid!)

The Oldest's reaction? Call out from the bottom of the steps. "Mom? You OK?"

The Hubby and the rest of the kids' reactions? Snnnnoooooze!

They never woke up. The alarm company did call immediately. After determining that we were indeed all right and asking for our secret code, the dispatcher stayed on the line while Oldest and I checked out doors and windows and such...and then let us know that the alarm was triggered by a glass break sensor in The Oldest's room. Well, uh, no broken windows. Not even one that was opened. We puzzled for a few minutes over what could have caused a noise loud enough to set off the alarm. Then the Oldest spoke up.

"Mom, it went off right after I sneezed!"

After checking to be sure his head had not become detached (how hard did he sneeze, anyway) we thanked the alarm lady and went back to bed. To join the others who would have let the robber kills us and make off with all our stuff while they slept peacefully in their beds!