P.S.

In theory, the doctor will induce me on the 13th so we will keep you posted. No. We still don't have a name picked out.

It's the End of the Year as We Know It...And I feel Fine

Just kidding. I feel ready to have a baby. But I am glad that baby hasn't come yet and that we made it all the way through the end of school. Here are the pictures of what has been keeping us so busy.

We had to go to the awards assembly for the 3rd grade. Kassie's teacher, Mrs. Breitling, had a baby about six weeks ago but came back to tell the kids congratulations. We will miss her next year.

And then of course there was Kindergarten Graduation. Seriously, it might look like I am one of those parents who over does things by the way Sydney is dressed. But all I did was her hair. She got herself dressed that morning. But really and truly, what have they accomplished at the end of kindergarten? Enough that everyone should get their camcorders out and take off work to be there to see them receive a fake "diploma"? This post could go right along with one I did a while back on soccer moms but I will leave off with the fact that Sydney wiped up the cafeteria floor (which was covered in cake and frosting because 100 little kids were expected to eat cake and drink red punch with NO table to sit at) with that pink dress. Because really, that's another post for another day.

We didn't get a picture of Caroline and her teacher, Ms. Lisa but Caroline also had a cute little preschool program at the end of the year. I'm telling you if the parents kept up the same level of caring and support from preschool to high school, the world would be a better place. There is nothing worthy of "celebration" in preschool or kindergarten or even 5th grade. Make it through high school and that's great but still as it should be. Make it through college and that's a celebration. Even further and you can live on that accomplishment for the rest of your life.

Sorry, a simple happy end of the school year turned into my soapbox. But we are glad it's the end and tomorrow is the last day so we will keep the tradition my mom started of having banana splits for breakfast. (I think with the bananas and cherries and nuts they were supposed to be sort of healthy but with kids who choose just the ice cream and chocolate syrup, not so much.)

Happy Belated Birthday, Kassie!

So I'm a week late posting this blog. It doesn't mean that I don't love my child or that she isn't important. It's that she is so important, I didn't spend time to write this so I could be the best mom--okay, only a half true pat on the back to make me feel better about my parenting the last few weeks. But I have been really busy and it is mostly because of the busy schedule created by the end of school. Interestingly, this is the first year we have still been in school when it was her birthday so late Tuesday night she says she wants cupcakes at school for lunch the next day! What?!? I don't have that on my schedule or the energy to do it! So I buy sugar cookies and make Dan take them since I have to be at a birthday party for Caroline's friend during Kassie's lunch. But it turned out to be another kids birthday so they had cupcakes at lunch and cookies for an afternoon snack. I think overall she had a pretty good day and we celebrated by going to see Chronicles of Narnia (whole different blog subject) and buying the elephant Webkinz (which many of you will know is the pet of the month for June). Then to McDonald's. Gross but whatever.

Now my baby is nine. I remember when she was tiny, I said how it was a mystery to me that anyone could be mean to her. Ever. When I looked at her tiny face and her big, brown eyes, I knew she came straight from heaven and that I had a huge responsibility to take care of her sweet little soul. Even after all this time (and even I have been mean to her on occassion) I still remember those thoughts and apply them to other people and other mothers. It's no wonder mother's can't stand war and hate and sorrow. We remember our babies and the hopes and dreams we had for them. It's hard to reconcile the real world with that la-la land we live in for a few weeks when we first have a baby. But I believe it makes us want to be better mothers and create a better world for that little soul, which is what God's plan must be. Sometimes we need a little motivation to be better and I think babies are it. Now if we can just remember that when the nine year old is telling you that you're the worst mom ever:) Happy Birthday, Sassy Kassie. I am so grateful you are my daughter.

Installing a Husband

From a forwarded email:

INSTALLING A HUSBAND

Dear Tech support,
Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow-down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0. In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5 and then installed undesirable programs such as NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Golf Clubs 4.1. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?

Signed, Desperate

Dear Desperate,
First keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and don't forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. But remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta. Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.) Also do not attempt to reinstall Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0. In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck,
Tech Support

Happy Mother's Day

First I want to brag on my wonderful husband. Last night right after we got the kids in bed he says oh, I have to run to Walmart. Of course I know why:) But he brings home Chili's and some chocolate and a chick flick. I'm happy. Then this morning, he hears the kids downstairs and knows they are making me breakfast so he gets up and ruins their morning by insisting that they make waffles, strawberries & whip cream, and bacon and eggs INSTEAD of Cheerios and yogurt and toast. They were really upset so I had to choke down the Cheerios and yogurt to appease them. Oh, and it was served on our fancy plates with a goblet of fresh squeezed OJ! It was worth waking up for! And then the gift was a DVD with THREE chick flicks on it and some very dark chocolate (85% cocoa). But the best part was the card. I know I'm hormonal being pregnant, but I got all teary and Sydney said, in a disgusted and disbelieving voice, "Are you crying?" Quickly wipe away tears and get smothered in hugs from all the girls. It was seriously the best beginning to a Sunday I have ever had and one of the best Mother's Days on record! Thank you Dan!

Now I want to say thank you to all the mothers out there who are examples to me. Of course my mom is the best example I can ever hope for. The sacrifice and love on her part is overwhelming to me now as a mother of my own kids. I can't believe what she went without to give us what we needed and wanted. The things she provided (on a very limited income as a single mother) were: family vacations, nice clothing, and music lessons. The things she provided (on a limited amount of time as a single mother) were: family prayer, scripture study, and church activities. We were so well taught and taken care of. Whenever something sounds too hard, I say well if mom could do it, so can I. Thank you for my life, Mom.

Now as a mother, we look back on the women in our lives and recognize their amazing qualities as mothers--not only mothers but women. The things they were able to accomplish, the way they treated their children, the love they gave other people's children. My grandma, my aunts, the women at church, my friends moms. They all sacrificed for not only their own children, but everyone else's children as well. Did I realize at 17 that the women teaching me would not only benefit me but countless generations to come? No. I barely realize now that my sacrifices and examples to children will benefit the world. I know that is idealistic and a trifle self-important, but I know it's true. Not just of me, but of all women--now and throughout time. It truly does take a village to raise a child. So Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there who are doing their best to make the world a better place.

PS - I hate to name names for fear of leaving some people out but there are a few I just can't get out of my mind. Nancy Dixon, Dorothy Robb, Lori Pate, Joan Faircloth, Delores Dennis, Adele Lundy, Elaine Hardy, Cathy Robb, Dorothy Winder, and Sarah Campbell. Seriously the list could keep going. Thank you ladies.

They Saw Us Coming a Mile Away

So a few Saturdays ago, we took the girls to ride the Merry Go Round. That was the plan. That was all the money we were spending. No more. Well, right across from the Merry Go Round is a little kiosk selling fancy hair stuff: crowns, clips, wigs, hair pieces, etc. All with gems and glitter of course. The little girls who work there saw the girls coming and said oh, come see what we have. They had Sydney in a chair and her hair in an updo with a crown and clips in it faster than you can say Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo! Then of course the other girl got a hold of Kassie and before you know it, they all have their hair done! They suckered us into buying the little diamond clips and combs. Of course all the other people at the mall started watching the girls (because they were so cute), they crowded around and pretty soon those girls running the kiosk had more business than they could handle! They knew what they were doing when they got us going. We walked out of there a lot more poor than a Merry Go Round ride but it sure was fun!

Here's to Good Friends

When you move, you never know if your neighbors are going to be good neighbors or just normal. Mine were better than good. We moved here almost six years ago at the end of October and all the neighbors said we were a dream come true. Of course it helped that the people who lived in our house before us were crazy - never mowing their lawn, letting their kids run wild, etc. (I'm sure if they knew we were never going to mow our lawn either, they may have changed their minds.) Either way, we felt welcomed and loved right away as they invited us to the neighborhood Christmas party and then invited me to participate in Bible Study. These are the kind of neighbors you dream of having when you move. We were very blessed. Well, Bible study sort of ended and we kept on, our husbands calling it Yack-N-Snack. But we're all still friends. We've been through moves, job losses, divorces, job changes, and new babies. And that's where this post makes its point.

We are having our fourth girl. We don't need anything. We don't want anything. But my wonderful friends threw a surprise baby shower a couple of weeks ago just to let me know they love me and they are excited about this new baby in our lives. The food was so pretty and the gifts they gave (diapers, onesies, a gift certificate for a massage and a pedicure) were absolutely perfect!!! Seriously, when you already have all the baby stuff, the gifts just for me were so touching. I have already been to get my toes done but I'm going to wait till I can lie on my belly again before I get the massage. And the diapers! I've had a hard time keeping Caroline out of them! She wants to show everyone how little they are - you do forget how tiny and cute a CLEAN newborn diaper is.

So here's to good friends who love me. I wish you all still lived in the neighborhood.