Friday, June 29, 2012

Let'em Rip...

I have heard that statement more times in the past couple of weeks, than I had in the previous 38 years of my life.  My children had been asking for Beyblades for quite a while.  I had no clue what they were, to be honest.

They are these little toys that I can't explain better than saying they are tops that come with a thing that you put it on, then pull a cord, and they spin incredibly fast.  They are little tops that battle with other ones.  I guess the last one spinning wins.  The children spin time with their friends letting them rip.  You have to say "3...2....1... Let'em rip."  Then you pull the cord, and away the go.

My children play with their Beyblades with their friends.  It seems like these are one of the more popular toys around.  It has come to my attention that there is even a cartoon called "Beyblades."  My 4 year-old enjoys watching it, when he can.  I haven't really paid any attention to it.  I am much more into "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Victorious," when it comes to children's shows.

Monday, June 25, 2012

A Walk to Target

This evening, I took my two youngest children on a walk to Target.  It was a nice walk.  I had the baby strapped into the baby carrier.  This always helps her to fall to sleep.  I just think the movement and the sound of my heartbeat is soothing to her.  She has not popped out a tooth yet, so we are still waiting for that.  She has been a little miserable lately, so I imagine that big event is right around the corner. 

As we were walking, we walked past the school which had its sprinklers on.  My 4 year-old loved every second of that.  I kept track of him as I didn't want him to try to run out of them and dart into the road.  The road is one of the two main thoroughfares through town.  He didn't get very wet on the way there. 

We walked there because we needed dishwasher tablets.  We ran out last night.  If I want clean dishes, I need those.  I don't have time to go and wash dishes, and it is easier for the children to load the dishwasher, and I don't have to worry about how well they washed them

When we got to Target, we went looking for the dishwashing detergent.  I finally had to ask someone where it was.  She brought me right there.  My son wanted a new Beyblade.  When we were there earlier today, I bought him one.  It keeps him occupied while I try to get some of my work done.  He loves the thing.  To me, it is just another thing to be sure I don't step on, because a- it will hurt and b-it would break, which would lead to much sadness.

After we got the detergent, I ordered 2 Icees from the little dining area.  I ordered one large and one small.  I intended to have the large, but my son announced that he wanted a large too.  I gave that to him.  We filled it up with a mix of blue raspberry and cherry.  I had cherry.  While we were walking home, he looked up, and noticed for the first time that I had a small one.  He asked me why.  I told him because he wanted the large one, so I let him have it.  He gave his to me, and told me I could have a taste.  I thought that was sweet of the little guy.  Mine was to the point that makes you realize why they are also called "slurpees."  I was trying to get the last drops out.

We walked through the sprinklers on the way home too.  He got soaked this time.  He knew that we had already accomplished going to the store and looking like we didn't wet ourselves.  The baby was still sleeping, until she got a few drops of the cold water and quickly woke up.  She just kept looking up at me, wondering what I was doing.

It was nice to get back home.  To walk into the A/C... except for the A/C was off.  I promptly turned it back on.  As I sit and write this a few hours later, it is very cool again.  

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Where Did the Time Go?

I am pretty sure that today, the baby has been alive longer than I was pregnant with her.  If only my pregnancy went this quickly!  If you read my blog while I was pregnant, you know that I have/had a rare pregnancy rash.  Yes, I still suffer from Pemphigoid Gestationis.  The longest someone has had it post pregnancy is 7 years.  I am hoping that I don't beat any records.  I have been off the prednisone since March.  I am learning to deal with it.  It isn't as severe as when I was pregnant, thank goodness!

As I write tonight, my baby girl is sleeping soundly on my lap.  She was 16 lbs 2 oz last Sunday, when we went to urgent care.  She was diagnosed with Bronchiolitis.  That is the first time she had a fever, that wasn't shot related.  She must be near 27 inches by now.  She grows like a weed. 

She is my biggest fan.  She loves being with me.  She prefers me over everyone.  The only thing I can come up with, is she knows that I am the one that feeds her most often.  If I had someone that I depended on for food, I think I would want to stay close to that person also. 

I have a 9 year-old... I can't believe that it has been over 9 years since I first became a mom.  My 9 year-old is wonderful.  He is a sensitive little guy.  He likes to please others.  He likes to see people happy.  He is a loyal fella.   He is a great big brother to all his siblings.  They are lucky to have him.  He loves all his siblings.  He likes being tucked in at night and say his prayers with his baby sister there.

13 months and 13 days after the birth of my 9 year-old, we welcomed my daughter into our family.  She came into the world, making some whimpers and crying.  It was a most welcome sound.  My son didn't make any noise, which I learned is because he wasn't breathing.  He was ran immediately to NICU.  When I heard her cry, tears welled up in my eyes.  She is strong-minded.  She knows how she wants things, and she doesn't like to budge.  She is a protector.  She will not allow anything to happen to her siblings if she can prevent it.  She is a lot like me in that way.  She is a very outgoing child, she has never gone without a friend.  Since the time she was a toddler, she could make a friend, even if we were hours from home.

We welcomed my son when the children were 3 and 4 years-old.  I gave birth after they went to sleep one night, so they found out in the morning that they had another sibling.  They stopped by and met the baby after school.  My 4 year-old looked at his baby brother and stated "I think I love him."  That was good news :)  My daughter wanted to hold him, he was a living doll.  He has grown to be a funny little fellow.  He enjoys telling knock-knock jokes.  They aren't really ones that make a lot of sense, but they are funny because he tells them.  One of them:  Knock, knock.  Who's there?  Mommy?  Mommy who?  You are mommy!  :)

When this little one I was holding was born, I had a 3 yr old, 7 yr old and 8 yr old.  My sister brought them to the hospital to meet her, before they went to school.  They were at the hospital when she was born.  They got to meet her when she was still less than an hour old.  They each got to hold her, sitting down.  In these months that have passed, they can hold her standing up. They adore her.  They watch out for her.

It seems like yesterday that I became a mother for the 4th time.  It doesn't seem like more than 4 years that I became a mother for the first time.  Where does time go?

I am so thankful for the blessings I have in my life.  My children make me so happy.  I, like most mothers, would do anything for then.  As I watch them grow, I see the people they are becoming.  I hope that they will always respect others and treat them well.  I hope they have good friends that lift them up and they do the same in return.  

Thursday, June 21, 2012

First Love

I remember the first person I thought I was in love with... I thought we would be together forever.  I was 4, in preschool and thought he was the best thing that could have ever happened in my life.  Well, I might have thought that, I don't remember.  I do remember that I was "in love."  The lucky boy... well, he lived close by.  He was a neighborhood boy.  Why am I reminiscing....?

Well, it has recently come to my attention that one of my children has found a lucky someone.  The lucky person also lives close by.  My heart breaks knowing that this will likely not last forever, that I am going to end up having a sad child.  My husband and I have explained to the child that there is no dating until the age of 16, and then it is only double dating.  We expect this child not to be holding hands or kissing.  This can be no more than a friendship. 

As easy as it is to say these things and for the child to agree, from my own memories of my "first love," I know that it is something the child will always remember. I hope that when this child grows up that this "friendship" will be a good memory.  I hope that my child will be able to remember the wisdom that was gained and be able to pass it on to my grandchildren (that is still a long ways away!). 

I still remember the name of my first love, I have no idea where life has taken him.  I lost track of him when I (my parents and siblings) moved to New York from Houston.  I am so thankful for how things turned out.  I am thankful that as life went on, I was blessed to find my husband.  I am thankful for the blessing of my four children. 

Friday, June 15, 2012

Orbeez vs Arbys.. My 4 Year-old Wins

There are these little toys, not sure if that is the right word, called Orbeez.  When you put them in water, they are supposed to grow. 

My children that range in age from 4 to 9 came inside and grabbed some of their coins.  I stopped them and asked what they were doing.  My 4 year-old announced that one of the neighbor children were selling Arby's.  I know I made a confused look, I may have even went cross-eyed.  He said he was going to go buy some.  At this point, my daughter had already run outside with her money, so I had my husband call her in.  I asked what she was doing.  She told me she was buying Orbeez.  I asked what they were, she explained they are things that grow in water.  The neighbor was selling them for a penny each, I saw no harm, except for the fact that they could spend their money on something useful.

They re-appeared, grabbing zip-loc bags, and other things, filling them with water.  They were watching these things grow.  They don't grow quickly, but they do grow.  They are blue, red, green, and maybe a few other colors. 

My 4 year-old continued to call them Arbys, I would continue to correct him and call them Orbeez.  I never, in a million years, could have guessed what would happen in a few minutes after they were placed in the water.  He started eating them.  He ate at least one, before my sister noticed what was happening.  I don't know what menu item he might have thought it was, but he honestly thought he had Arbys.  This led to a frantic internet search... "ORBEEZ."  I didn't know if I should call Poison Control or not, and if I did, if they would even know what I was talking about.  I really know nothing about the things, at that moment. 

In my search, I found that Orbeez are non-toxic, and will pass through the digestive system.  That is something to be thankful for.  These things look like they could be little candies.  Perhaps they can be mistaken for those little ice cream balls,  I don't know. 

By the next morning, much to the amusement of my two older children, his Orbeez shrunk.  We don't know what might have caused it... maybe they saw what happened to their little friend, and they are trying to disappear?!  (I do know that isn't possible).  We did joke about that though, that my four year-old won that fight.  My older kids couldn't stop laughing for a little while trying to figure out why they would shrink.  Who knows?!

At the end of the day, I think it is very important to distinguish Arbys from Orbeez.  Maybe we should make the trip to Arbys more often, and try all menu items, so there is no chance of confusion!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Baptism of My Eight Year-old - June 2, 2012

June 2nd was my 8 year-old daughter's baptism.  This is a very special day in the life of a child that has been raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Children are baptized at the age of 8, because we believe at this age, children start really understanding the difference between right and wrong, and can be held accountable for choices they make.  We believe that we are will be punished for our own sins and not for Adam's transgression, therefore, we don't have children baptized at birth, or shortly thereafter.  We believe that they should be able to choose whether they want to be baptized or not.

My mother gave the talk on baptism at the baptism.  There were 2 other girls baptized the same day.  Mom made a ladder for each of them as a gift to remind them that it is steps that need to be taken to return to our Heavenly Father.  Everyone loved that.  I gave the opening prayer at the baptism.  My dad baptized her and my husband confirmed her a member of the Church.  A family member of the other two girls gave the talk on the Holy Ghost following the baptism.  It was a truly enjoyable talk he gave as well. 

After she was baptized, she changed into the dress that I was baptized in.  She felt like a princess.  It had the faded look that would happen after 30 yrs, so we didn't think it would be appropriate to be baptized in. 

Some of our friends made it to the baptism, and then we had a picnic at a park afterward.  It was so nice to get to visit with them.  It was wonderful to have my parents in town for this special occasion.

I loved seeing the happiness on my daughter's face.  After the baptism, my 4 year-old was telling everyone that his sister had been baptized.  When mom and I brought the two of them to the pool, he was even telling complete strangers.  He has been looking forward to being baptized since his big brother was.  He will be able to make that decision in under 4 years.