Tumble

Everything is tumbling all at once.  

The kiddos behaviors are less than desirable and far from the "norm" (as in normal for us).  

We have random outbursts of crying from Addyson,

Eligh has been acting out, 

AND, Addyson got her first yellow card pulled yesterday at school.

We have just a couple of weeks left, but if this past week is any inclination of what these two weeks are going to be to like, I would like to go into hibernation.  

Photo storage

I attempted to upload pics last night, but we had an Internet outage, and now I am trying again this morning and it is stating that I do not have enough photo storage.

Blogger bloggers - help!

3-0 birthday eve

How am I ending my 20's?  A list:

• Laundry
• Hanging up Xmas lights, blow up decorations, etc
• Filing
• Sorting
• Laundry
• Watching pointless tv

Exciting, huh?

Quick and Easy

I have determined that these two words do not and will not ever go hand-in-hand in this house.  Absolutely impossible. 

Three reasons:

1.  Addyson
2.  Kinsley
3.  Eligh

The combination of these three reasons make it impossible for me to complete any task "quick and easy" and for that I wish these words did not ever become associated with one another.

Don't believe me? An example from this evening:
I started dinner and was about to add spaghetti noodles to the pot of boiling water, and what did I find?  No NOODLES!  The spaghetti sauce was already ready (home made, people, so it takes time) and I was not going to change our plans.  I don't have the option of asking Cody to pick some up as he is still states away.  So....I tell the kiddos to find a pair of shoe and get in the van.  We only need noodles - this will be "quick and easy."  It truly was pretty painless until checkout.  The cashier had to come to the lane and over ride the transaction not once but three times because the kids were playing with the bags and changing the weight of the bags and making the machine accuse me of basically stealing.  Touchy computers!!!  And, then, Kinsley had to hug Eligh so tight he had to fall into the register, bust his ear, and start screaming. 

Good bye "quick and easy" please quit taunting me. 

Do not judge

I spent all stinkin day decorating the inside of the house for three boogers.

Stubborn - but at least I admit it

Just a little clarification on the past couple of days.  Addyson's random sickness was just motion sickness as she never got sick or complained since the drive Thursday evening.

Friday morning I got Kinsley an appointment as the antibiotic she was on for the pneumonia gave her what I believed to be a yeast infection (and I was correct).  Yes, we pushed yogurt and extra dairy to help prevent this, but it did not.  While in there, the doc asked a few other questions and decided to have her get some blood work and a urine sample as well.  2.5 hours we had the blood work completed, but still not a urine sample.  We were able to take it home and bring it back when she finally went (which was like a few drops).

The twins and I had a quick lunch and then I had to take them to a friend's house so I could go have some moles removed.  I had two moles removed and biopsied about two years ago, and they were shaved and cauterized.  Not this time.  The giant birthmark on my leg, they only took a small punch out of it (disgusting) and then the one on my back they had to go deeper to get the tissue as well, which left me with stitches.

Convo with doc:
Dr.:  "You know you can't shower for at least 24 hours."
Me:  "Ummm...no (shit I didn't shower this morning, since I did the night before).  I really can't shower?"
Dr.:  "Well, I would prefer you not to, but if you MUST then just make sure you don't have the water beating on your back."
Me:  "Ok.  Anything else I need to know?"
Dr:  "Keep the bandage on for at least 24 hours, come back in a week to have the stitches removed, and don't be doing any bench press."
Me:  "Wait, I can't work out?  (Just really getting back into a groove - damnit!!!)  Can I do some cardio?  You know, like the elliptical or running?"
Dr.:  "You really are stubborn aren't you."
Me:  "Sure am."  
Dr.:  "Well, I would prefer you to simply wait until after your stitches are removed, because I don't need to see you in the ER this weekend."
Me:  "Oh, don't worry.  I wouldn't go in anyway."

I showered last night (face forward - not easy) and of course the bandages fell off.

That's how we roll

I was extremely worried and stressed about how I would manage our schedule, errands, organizing a holiday bazaar, dance, and taking Addyson to and from school on my own for six weeks.  But, surprisingly, I have figured it out.  This isn't a pat on my back type moment, but not having family, a babysitter, or your spouse around for several weeks is not easy by any means.

Today, Addyson had to throw me through a loop.  

After picking up Addyson from school (after Eligh fell hard on the cafeteria floor - screaming/crying in pain), the kiddos had a quick snack and played for about an hour or so, and then Addyson had to get dressed and ready for dance.  I  packed up dinner, cups, and entertainment for the twins, and scurry them all out to the van.  I get the movie set up, kiddos put on their headphones, I give everyone their dinners and cups and off we headed for our 40ish minute drive to dance.  Typically, it is an easy ride.  The kids eat and watch a movie while I catch up with people on the phone or enjoy some quiet.  Not tonight.  Far from it!

About ten minutes into the drive, Addyson is crying that she has to go to the bathroom and that her tummy hurts (I'm thinking #2 and her never-ending constipation).  Miles later we finally get to an exit, unload everyone (praying there is a bathroom), and just as we get on the sidewalk Addyson vomits.  Huh?  What the heck just happened?  I move her and the twins away to a more remote spot where she vomits one more time, head inside where she uses the bathroom, and declares she is better (which she was).

And....we trudge on and continue our madness of an evening...because that is how this family rolls.  One ounce of crazy, unexpected madness after another.

Repeat

Oh, how I love this little girl.  She is kind, helpful, cuddly, entertaining, and absolutely adorable.  

BUT.....she is pushing every last button these days.  Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• Attempting to run into the streets when crossing the road.  
• Dancing every where she goes, which involves spins upon spins. 
• Insisting on using the bathroom non-stop or else "I will pee in my pants."  
• Eye rolling.  
• The worse of them all is repeating questions over, and over, and over, and over again.   

I'm waving my flag in defeat of this zebra-crazed little girlie.  Any takers????

New hats and military spouses

Being a military spouse makes it extremely hard to maintain a career and more times than not spouses are stay at home moms.

With that said, I am all about supporting local businesses and at home crafters. I recently stumbled upon a mom who crochets hats and instantly hit her up and challenged her to create three very unique hats. I could NOT be any more pleased and surprised with their outcome, and because of this she is now bringing in eight more orders and participating in a bazaar.

An attempted special treat gone so very wrong

It has been a long, busy weekend.  Addyson had her first two performance team dance shows on Friday evening and another one yesterday.  Today we are filled with spooky winds that howl and make the kids freak as well as a power outage for an hour and hours of rain.

To escape the power outage, we left to return a movie and pick up another.  Picking out a movie with three kids' opinions can be a never ending cycle.  When we are watching a movie together it must be a neutral movie.  No Barbies, princesses,  Avengers, or trains.  We head straight for the kids section and I automatically start vetoing the following movies:  previously watched/owned, Dora (I hate that chica), Thomas, computerized movies, and most tv character movies.  All while they are each grabbing movies, discussing them, staring at them, and begging to watch them.  But, they do not all three agree.  Addyson and Eligh find "Space Buddies" - I believe the only Buddy movie we haven't seen.  Perfect!  Kinsley automatically says no and starts grabbing scary movies (huh?).  Halloween is over, we are moving past those movies - not happening, and both her and Addyson have nightmares.

I hold onto the movie, and we do a walk through the newer releases to find a few that we have already seen, but again nothing they agree upon.  I marched them back over to the kid section and tell Kinsley to come up with a better option as we have already spent twenty minutes picking out a movie.  Ten minutes later and she finally gives in to the movie.  Kids are happy, so I give them the option of picking up dinner and eating at home or eating at the restaurant - they choose the restaurant.  I give them their threats and we head in.  Soon after ordering we have to make our first bathroom trip (sucks when you are alone as you can't leave your purse and have one more thing to lug and keep track of).

Dinner comes, kids fight about not eating it (even though they picked it) and again threats of no movie and early bed time.  I compromise and give them each an amount they must eat before leaving.

Get home (power is back - yay), give all three a bath, pjs, and they get situated for their movie.

Upon sitting down and the movie starting the three of them asked, "Can we have popcorn?"  (HELL NOOOOO  -  you boogers fought me on eating your damn dinner that I took you out for, which is a special opportunity).
"Nope, but if you are still hungry you can have the rest of your dinner." 

Of course they did not like that idea.

We have a quilt

I spent hours upon hours searching and searching for the perfect quilt to update Addyson's room.  We had one that we all agreed upon and when I went to pay for it, it was back ordered until February.  GRRRR!!!!!

Sooooo.....on one of the many visits to Kinsley's specialist we headed out shopping to do some window shopping and stumbled upon the perfect quilt.  It is extremely close to the one that was back ordered, but $100 cheaper - SCORE!!!

Without junk

With junk - and don't even think about forgetting even one item

First conference

Today was Addyson's parent/teacher conference which was actually a student-centered conference.  The little gumdrop went through each station with ease.  She flipped her "p" to a "q" in one section and had to correct her numbers when she saw she forgot to add the number one.  The little perfectionist had to erase all eleven numbers, rewrite, and attempt to erase, and rewrite again before her teacher and I explained that she could just write the numbers underneath.  Once we finished all five stations her teacher gave me her report card - exceeding in all areas.  She has adjusted and hopefully will continue down this path (except I really do not want her to be a perfectionist as I know what challenges it can bring).  I am amazed at all that she has been able to master in just two months of school.  Amazed.

Wordless Wednesday - a week late

Talking Tuesday - Head of the house

Addyson:  (finishing up a phone call with daddy) "Mommy, you know that you and me are in charge."
Mommy:  "Oh, WE are?"
Addyson:  "Yep, we are the head of the house and the twins have to listen to us."  

Explaining a long absence to a toddler

Daddy:  "Eligh, I will be leaving for a few weeks to go to school far away."  
Eligh:  "When will you be back?"
Daddy:  "Six weeks...about 40 days."
Eligh:  "So an hour right?"
Daddy:  "No, about 40 days."
Eligh:  "Oh man!  That's a long time."
Daddy:  "But, when I get back it will be close to Christmas and we get to go to Disney World!!!!"
Eligh:  "Yay!!!!  So, we'll see you in a couple hours, then."

Midweek - Weekend rundown

Halloween was a success. We took the kiddos out for right under two hours and now we have an overfilled bucket of candy that I need to find a place to donate over half of it.

Kinsley had her bronchoscopy procedure and it was a nightmare.  My nerves were shot, she cried as soon as we arrived until we got home.  Doc found enlarged adenoids, nodules in her throat (but not visible to the eye - seen with camera), and an airway by her left lung that is smaller than it should be.  He also took cultures of her secretions from her lungs and those came back at the end of the week.  We are now treating her for a rare case of pneumonia that typical antibiotics cannot cure.  Medication is one that is used to treat individuals who have been exposed to anthrax - and will be taken for two weeks.

And we are preparing for daddy to leave for the next six weeks.  Suckage.