Madame Librarian



Ellie reading a library book.



Yesterday, Josh had to stop at the library to pick up a couple of books he had requested.  After his quick trip, he came home shaking his head.  I asked what was wrong, and he just said, "You are so right." 

For many years I have felt that librarians at the local library don't actually want anyone to touch the books.  I have had trouble after trouble with librarians who are rude and annoyed when I ask for help.  They are impatient with my children who sometimes have questions.  A few years ago I took my mutual girls (age 12-18) to the library for an activity to expose them to the wonders of books and the two library ladies we tried to deal with were unworkable and even refused to tell the girls their names (part of a worksheet I had the girls fill out).   I swear, these women think their job is to keep the books from falling into unworthy hand, meaning ANYONE BUT THEIRS!

Anyway, librarians have never been my favorite (except I have a good friend whose mom worked at our local library and she was FABULOUS!  so I know there are exceptions).

Well, when Josh stopped at the library he had a couple of books to return.  As he walked up to the return counter the library lady was awkwardly stooped down trying to collect the books from the book drop.  Josh smiled at her and politely asked if she would prefer him to just hand her his books so that she didn't have to stoop down to get them.

She glared at him and said, "THIS, is the book drop."  Then she went back to scooping. 

So, Josh headed to the reserved area to get his books.  Well, right in front of the "D" (for DeMoux, yea!) shelf a librarian had a wheeled rack of books she is putting away.  Josh smiled at her.  She didn't smile back. Josh waited quietly next to her, expecting that after a moment she would let him get to his books.  No.  Not so much.  She just kept shelving, occasionally glancing venomously at my husband. 

After a couple of minutes he asked if he could just reach past her really quickly to grab his books.  He said she dropped her eyes and shoulders with a heavy sigh, shook her head and grumpily slid over.  He snatched his books in eight seconds flat and hustled out of the library (he did check out his books first because stealing from a library is a federal offense).

Anyway, the point is now he knows first hand why I do not care for library ladies.  He knows why I rarely ask for help and will search for something for long periods of time before I venture to their desk of angrily hoarded information. 

But I still love the library because I am addicted to reading and who could afford to buy every single book they wanted to read (and I don't want to own every book that I've read either).  So, thanks to the librarians of the world for making books accessible to me, even if they have a harpy like attitude while they do it.

Bibliomaniac?...not so much

I've told you before that I LOVE books! (See proof in this post and this post).

I really love to read but I also love the very earthy, aged, almost blooming smell of books.  I love the velvety feel of worn paper and the crisp, crinkling whisper of turning pages.  I just really love books themselves.  I don't think I could ever become an e-reader (or rather a reader of e-readers since the chances of my turning into a Kindle or some such machine are slim to none)...but I've never tried it so I guess I don't really know for sure.

Suffice it to say, I have a love affair with books.  That is why the title of this story drew me in from the moment I saw it on Goodreads.

So last week I read it and I thoroughly enjoyed it but it wasn't at all what I thought.  I won't ruin it for you (in case you are as enamored with the idea as I was) but this is the true story of a rare book thief.

The author plunges into the rare book world and I learned a lot that surprised me.  The most shocking thing that I learned was that collectors of rare books DON'T READ THE BOOKS!  Not just that they don't read them because they don't want to ruin them by use, but they don't read them because they don't care three straws about the story.

I can't understand that concept.  I just can't get my mind to close around the idea that I would spend thousands of dollars on a volume of literature which I don't care to read.  The value to most collectors is in the fact that the book is old and still in good shape.  They don't care if the book is written in German or Latin (who cares about the language if you aren't going to read it anyway) or if it is about botany or psychology, just so it is old, and rare and looks good.

I really thought I was going to relate to these book lovers.  I thought I would be whisked away in the world of buying and selling old stories.  But it turns out the stories simply don't matter, and I have to turn up my nose at that a bit.

I think I could enjoy owning a first edition or autographed copy of a tale that I loved.  But I can't see that I would care to own some ancient, expensive book that my heart wasn't connected to. 

Still, "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much" was a unique and compelling story (at least to me) even if I didn't turn out to be a bibliomaniac (I know it sounds like the kind of word I would make up, but I didn't).  Oh well.

Happy Birthday Brycey!

Our oldest boy turned 11 this past week.  He has been itching for his birthday for over a month.  It has actually been pretty funny.  For his special day we took donuts to school for his class and made home made pizza for dinner.  We had flaming eclairs for dessert.  We don't do birthday parties for every kid every year (I just don't have that much stamina or creativity...or patience). We have "friend parties" for milestone birthdays like 5, 8, and 10 (usually). 

So this year was a family party.  We sang and had fun at home.  Bryce got a new book (he was slammed book wormyness from both sides of the family) and an awesome set of motorized K'Nex (building sets) that I found at a second hand store a couple months ago (can't beat that!).   All four boys have been building all kinds of contraptions with them all weekend.  This is Parker's motorized "swing" ride.  After they tore this apart they started making intricate swords and grenades and having wars.  Boys will be boys I guess.

Bryce also got spoiled by his grandparents.  His DeMoux grandparents live a ways away but they called and sang to him over the phone.  He smiled from ear to ear.  His Whitmer grandparents live closer and they came to take him out for ice-cream.  He came home with a new bike.  He was pretty thrilled.  I was really grateful that everyone worked so hard to make him feel special on his day. 

I am ever grateful for the day this little sprite entered the world.  He is such a joy and I am very thankful that God sent him to my family.  As an added bonus he is hilarious so he keeps me laughing and I love that too.

P.S. Ellie loves dancing.  This has nothing to do with Bryce's birthday, but I thought I'd throw it in here anyway. Logan joined in as well, it was fun for everyone.

Sock it to me

Yesterday I was folding socks.  I don't love folding socks but it has to be done.  I had a large basket of single socks in the living room (a large basket because I tend to put off folding socks until someone complains that they don't have any anymore...maybe I wouldn't hate it so much if I did it more often so there weren't so many socks to fold). 

Anyway, I had to leave the room for a minute to help Gavin with something and when I came back my sock basket was empty.  I have always heard of socks that get up and wander away on their own (hence they end up without matches in a sad little pile in my laundry room) but this isn't quite what I expected.

So I started looking for the missing socks and this is what I found.

Sweet little Ellie had collected all of the socks (some folded, some not) and shoved them all in my top drawer.  She was trying to help put them away.  What a sweetheart.  It made me smile.  Lets hope this helpful streak lasts another oh say 18 years.  Anyway, what a cutie.

FYI after digging all the socks out of the drawer (and wrestling around with a giggling baby girl in the process) I no longer had the umph to fold them all so Ellie and I put away the folded ones and I still have a bunch of matchless foot attire in the basket waiting for the inevitable clean sock draught in a few days...then we'll do it all over again.  Yuck!  Still, it's a lot better with an adorable helper.

Invisible Miracles

You may remember that last week we were having trouble with our stove.  Here is the miraculous culmination to that exciting tale (I know you were waiting with bated breath).

So, the new piece we ordered online showed up last Thursday.  Josh was sick that day, so I called in Bryce and we installed the new piece together (no, I am not incompetent, I just thought it would be good for Bryce to help).  We got it all hooked up, plugged it in and the heating elements still wouldn't work.  The clock was fine, the timer was fine, but anything that should have gotten hot didn't. 

I called my dad (that's what I do when I am frustrated and Josh isn't available).  He looked online s'more and said some people mentioned that their power cord came loose and by just tightening a few loose screws things worked fine. 

I figured I could handle that.  I took off the back panel and found this super helpful picture of what the connections should look like so that I could be sure everything was where it was supposed to be.

This is what I found inside that panel. 

The power cord and connections had completely melted and were totally severed.  As soon as I saw this I felt intense gratitude to my Father in Heaven.  It would have been so easy for this problem to cause a fire and I could have lost my home or a member of my family.  It could have been tragic. 

Thankfully, God sent me a miracle that I didn't even know I needed and kept this problem from flaring into something devastating. 

After some research we found that the power cord was not tightly connected causing it to short over and over again which, over time, caused the problem you see in that nasty picture. 

My dad came over and helped us replace all these parts (every kid got involved...I love that my dad is so patient with them and lets them be part of things).  We tightened everything down, FOR REAL this time, and fired up the stove which works like a charm now.

Sometimes I feel extremely grateful for answers to prayers that I didn't even know I needed to send heavenward. 

(But you can bet I will occasionally be removing that back panel just be sure I don't have to count on another miracle).

Dads

No, that isn't my actual father, that is Conan the Barbarian...
and I no longer  have that body since giving birth to six children.
(OK, it's just my face in a Universal Studios cutout...age 7)

When we are young, we tend to think of our Dad's as super heroes.  They can do anything.  They know every answer. 

I have always been a bit of a daddy's girl, my dad's interest and approval were always paramount for me.  Thankfully.  I had an amazing father so the picture in my childish mind wasn't too far from reality (except for the loincloth, my dad rarely wears one of those).

And now that I have a family of my own I am blessed to be able to share my amazing dad with my children.  He is a little bit more patient now than he was when I was young, but he is still the same old dad that played games with me, taught me to shoot a free throw and helped me understand the scriptures.  He has blessed the lives of generations and he is an amazing man.

Then one day I woke up and realized that not only do I have an incredible father, but I somehow stumbled into a marriage (totally on purpose, mind you) with the best dad I have ever known.  Josh is superb with our children.  He is their favorite playmate, toughest critic (when they need it) and best snuggler on the planet (the kids all prefer snuggling with dad to snuggling with mom....geezo, who birthed them anyway!). 

For 33 years now I have been surrounded by amazing examples of fatherhood. They have shaped my life in a way I will always be thankful for (not to mention teaching me to laugh at myself and catch a fish).

I love you, Dad.

And Josh, I love you best of all. I couldn't wish for a better father for my children.

Thank you both for being the dads in my life.

Happy Fathers Day!

Bryce's Father's Day Epistle to his dad.  Like father, like son I guess.

Notebook Messages

 I have been meaning to do this little project for months because I LOOOOVE this idea.  I heard it from a cute dad in an online interview although I can't remember who he was or where I heard it (sorry cute dad, I can't credit you for your inspiration).

I started with simple composition books that you can get for $1 or less at just about any store.  I picked these because although they are much cheaper than $5 or $6 journals, their covers are more sturdy than regular school notebooks.

 Next, I redid the covers with cuter designs and added each of the kid's names to personalize the notebooks.  I coated the covers with mod podge to give them some extra strength so they will stand up to the abuse I imagine they will have to handle.  Mod podge also helps them be a bit more water proof just in case something spills on the cover (geez, I love that stuff).

I only made notebooks for the kids that can read and write for now because this project requires a bit of literacy. 

I have been a little bit concerned the last while that my older kids may not be getting as much mom attention as I would like to give them.  They spend most of their day at school and by the time they get home there is a rush of homework and friends and dinner and showers and bedtime.  I don't ever want them to feel like I am not interested in their lives and that is where these notebooks come in.

This is like a written intercom between each of the kids and me (or Josh).  I will write a note in the book, not every day, but when I have something special to tell them or I saw them do something neat or whatever.  Then I'll stick the notebook under their pillow (hence it needs to be pretty tough).  They will find it and have a note from mom reminding them that they are important and loved.  Then, when they feel inclined, they can write a note back to me about whatever they are thinking and feeling and slip it under my pillow and we start the whole process over.  Josh and I told them about this last night after bedtime and they were all pretty excited about it.

Like I said, I LOVE this idea.  I really hope it will give the kids a chance to feel how special they are, even if life is not full of daily fuzzy moments on my lap (because they think they are too old for that sort of thing most of the time). 

I had intended to put the first note in each book while the kids were in school today (now that the notebooks are dry), but I couldn't find Bryce's book...until I looked under my pillow.  He beat me to the punch.

His note is about the book he is reading -- part of the Fablehaven series -- but that is exactly the point.  I want him to be able to tell me whatever is on his mind so I can keep up with what matters most to him.

I think this is going to be fun!

...Slip Sliding Away...

Now that summer is tentatively wandering its way into Utah (and it's about time!!), we have finally been able to break out the slip-n-slide (and other warm day items like popsicles and sunscreen).  Josh even got down the bikes the other day and tuned them all up which is a job he dreads every year and I can't blame him because it always turns into a HUGE headache with tube repairs and seat adjustments etc etc.  Poor guy.

Anyway, the kids spent the whole afternoon yesterday enjoying the fun of warm air, sunshine and wetness and I had a great time watching them.  Three cheers for summer.

G had some trouble with his aim/balance but didn't let that stop him.

Bryce showing everyone how it is done!

Look at that face...slip-n-sliding can be intense!

PJ is becoming a pro.

Logan had to walk his way down the slide because he couldn't quite get the hang of sliding yet.



Ellie slept on the floor in the living room through all the excitement.



Dinner: A Comedy of Errors

Yesterday I told you that our stove/oven decided to stop working.  No one granted it a leave of absence, it just went without any warning or anything (what kind of team player is that!...just kidding stove, you have worked hard for years and we love  you and can't blame you for wanting a little break).  So we took it apart looking for the problem.  My dad researched on the Internet and found that this problem is often caused by that black box in the picture (I have no idea what it is called).  We called around to stores in our valley and no one has it in stock, but we ordered one online that should be here in a couple of days.  Hooray, crisis averted.  Looks like we should be able to fix this one on our own.

That said, I totally forgot that our stove was not working when I went grocery shopping yesterday morning so I did NOT buy things that are conducive to prep without said stove.  Sooooo, come 5:00 last night when I went to start dinner I had a bit of a cold shock when I realized I would need to find an alternate cooking method (yup, I can be sort of absent minded sometimes...I blame that on the children).  That's when all the fun started.  Yee-Haw!

Pretend like the grill isn't disgustingly dirty...we've had it for
eight years and haven't cleaned it yet this season.

 First, I hurried out and started the gas grill thinking maybe I could cook everything on that.  I put a pot of water on to boil, slapped a lid on it and closed the grill.  After 45 minutes the water was just starting to get hot...not even any bubbles clinging to the sides yet.  I decided this was probably not the best option (when Josh got home from soccer camp he chuckled and said he wished he'd been here because he could have told me that wouldn't work...I obviously don't use the grill enough to know it's inner workings).

Gross, that is dirty too...no excuses on this one, I've just
never thought to clean it.

So I scrambled for options and decided to pull out our little camp stove.  This I have cooked on before and I KNOW I can get water to boil and I have a better grasp on how to use it...or so I thought. 

I hooked up the propane canister, turned it all on, brought the match to the burner and...nothing.  I turned it all off and then back on and tried again...nothing.  I called my dad to see if I was missing something.  He asked me if I had remembered to attach propane (see, even he knows I can be absent minded).  He couldn't think of a reason it wouldn't work.  He said to keep trying.  I kept trying.  (We eventually found that I didn't tighten the bit that attaches the propane tank to the stove quite enough so gas wasn't getting from the tank to the stove...at least it was a simple fix).

Then my mom called.  She said she had ordered pizza.  I would have kissed her if she had been at my house.  I didn't manage to feed my brood until 7:45, just in time for 8:00 bedtime, (and just as Josh was walking in the door from soccer camp) but they were fed and they were happy because what kid doesn't prefer pizza to grilled chicken and mashed potatoes which is what I was aiming for.   

Tonight I will remember my boy scout training and "be prepared" (I really did do lots of boy scout stuff right alongside my brother because my mom thought it was good stuff for me to learn too...thank you mom). 

This is was one of those nights that just makes you laugh and makes for a great story for years to come (like the time my grandma accidentally added root beer extract instead of maple extract to the home made syrup...we still laugh about that...p.s. root beer syrup does not taste good). 

This is what a family is all about, snapshots of life both good and bad that make the ride more exciting.  What a wonderful adventure.

ABCs in the Village

Lately, Ellie has become a little coloratura which is a fancy term that I learned (no kidding) from a Thomas the Tank Engine episode that means "wicked awesome singer."  I love that she sings.  She sings all the time.  She plays the piano while she sings.  She plays the guitar while she sings.  She dances around the living room to the sound of her own voice.  She is adorable, and she sounds great too (at least if you ask me).  No wonder we keep her around.

Having kids around the house is fabulous.  Their happiness at simple things and just plain love of life is contagious, and sometimes I need that boost.  I'm really grateful to be a mom (but I could do without the laundry!).

They say it takes a village to raise a child (or in my case half a dozen of them...children, not villages) and I have to tell you, I have the best village in the world.  There are so many incredible people around us that help us and our little sprites along the way.  We have several cute grandma ladies that have adopted our children and made them feel important...so important that they BEG to ride bikes to their houses regularly.  We have amazing ward members that quietly step in during church meetings to be sure we have what we need (Josh had to work this Sunday and I felt incredibly blessed by all those that willingly came to my rescue).  I am humbled by those that help my family in every possible way (thanks to you orange envelope dropper, whoever you are).

Life is never easy (at least not for long -- seems like when things are going really smoothly you can bet that God is letting you rest up for a strengthening exercise he has in store for you).  2011 has not been my favorite year ever, and yet I wouldn't trade it.  It seems like thing after thing after thing has fallen in our laps this year (did I mention our stove/oven stopped working last night...I just had to laugh, we'll try to fix it today, wish us luck).   But I have also been blessed to see the love of people around us and to feel the strength and trust of God in our lives. 

Through it all I am surrounded by a little gaggle of people that make life's hurdles worth every moment.  I hope that through all of life's messes you are surrounded by people that bring smiles to your heart as well.

Love like a fairy tale...almost

After yesterday's post I feel a little bit bad that I picked on my sweetheart.  I honestly meant it when I said that even when I am the most mad at him I'd still rather be around him than anyone else.

Engagement photo...WOW, we were
young and good looking!



But here's the thing, I don't ever want anyone to think that living "happily ever after" means that every moment in marriage is chocolate and roses (that's a great way to get fat and develop allergies).  No matter how much you love each other you WILL annoy each other, you WILL make each other crazy and you WILL have to learn to deal with it if you want to be happy. 



Josh and I do not always agree.  We are very different people, that is one of the things I LOOOOOVE about our relationship.  He sees the world through different lenses than I do.  I love that he has his own perspective and opinions and that those don't always mesh with mine.  That means that sometimes we have to work things out.  Sometimes that takes days or weeks, but we work it out.  We talk things through and come to an agreement or at least an understanding and then move forward.



Always the gentleman.



I can't remember that we have ever had a fight (at least my version of a fight with screaming and name calling and things like that) but there have been many times I have left a room angry and Josh has given me room to stew until we can tackle the issue.  And things go the other way too.  Some days I make him crazy (thankfully he is much more patient and much less flighty than me so he doesn't storm off and stew...it would be a mess if we both did that). 

Anyway, the point is, no one's life is a fairy tale...and it's a good thing because who wants witches and dragons around every corner.  Instead we get to pair up with incredible partners and swing into life together (insert Tarzan yell here).  Sometimes there are hitches, sometimes we feel like we will never get over the bumps in the road, but always, ALWAYS if we work together and rely on each other we will come out stronger than we went in, and happier too.

And if we stick with it, we will emerge as champions, lovers and friends forever.  Hand in hand, kiss on the cheek, smiles...and what could be better than that.



The perfect start to happily ever after.



P.S. Josh is already working on my honey-do list...told you he was awesome!

When husbands get in trouble (at least mine)

Even the very best husbands get in trouble once in a while.

Take mine for example.  He is amazing.  He is kind and gentle, he is a great dad and a hard worker.  I adore the guy.  I am not interested in life without him.

These are the kind of pictures that husbands who make their blogging wives
upset get to see on the web. 

Yet, yesterday he ended up in hot water.

You see, we have spent a good portion of the last three days at the house of Josh's brother, Chris.  Chris and his sweet, pregnant wife are in the process of moving and Chris is working out of town so we have been trying tohelp finish up all that final stuff that has to be done to get out of a house so pregnant Trish doesn't have to do it all (or her sweet mom who has been there to help every day too).  We've cleaned and done yard work and packed last minute kitchen and bathroom items and wrapped and packed pictures. 

Like any house, Chris's house has some minor issues that should probably be attended to before renters move in.  We've been trying to take care of these, and by "we" I mean Josh 'cause I pretty much just try to control the kidlets and keep them from messing up the work we've already done (ok, after the first day we learned and borrowed my mom's bounce house and just sent them in the back yard so I have been sort of helpful).

When Josh got home today after making a couple of trips to the storage locker with final stuff and working to get the sprinkling system up and running, he did a bit of whining about the things that had to be done at the house.  I said, yea, but that is how all houses are.  He said, not ours.  If we were to move tomorrow there would be next to nothing to do to get it ready for someone else.

I laughed because I thought he was joking. 

He wasn't.

So I looked at him crooked and proceeded to list a bunch of the stuff that I could think of that needed attention in our house (that is just the plague of having a house...something ALWAYS needs fixing).  Broken doorknobs, wall dents, ceiling fan issues, chipped paint, cracked windows....you get the idea. 

Here is where he made his fatal mistake. 

He looked at me like I was nuts and said, "Yes, but we don't care about those things.  If they really mattered we would fix them."

My jaw dropped.  All this time I thought I was in a partnership with someone who was going to help me take care of this home, I didn't realize it was up to me completely on my own to manage the entire process. 

He saw my face and knew he had flubbed.  He tried to fix it, but he sounded annoyed and condescending so it didn't go over well. 

"Well if you actually care about that ridiculous and worthless stuff just put it on a list and I guess I can come down to your level of silly care for the home try to get to it even if I think you are crazy." (I may have exaggerated the actual words just a bit, but that is completely the meaning of what came in through my ears to my brain).

I stood up.  I left the room.  Better that than biting off his nose which was my first thought (his nose really is one of his distinguishing features so it is better left on his face). 

He skulked around the house like a meek puppy for a while before he dared brave my wrath (boy can I be scary...I guess).  He did finally try to come apologize and I am not very good at holding grudges so he wore me down and now we are friends again.

Funny thing is, even when I am mad at him (and it is usually over something silly like this) he is still my favorite person in the world and I'd rather be around him than anyone else.  Guess we must be soul mates.  I think I'll keep him. 

But I'm still gonna make that list!

Please Pray for Becca

I just found out that my little niece, Becca, who had a simple surgery yesterday is having a really tough time recovering.  She is still in the hospital and is struggling.  If you don't mind, she could really use your prayers.  She is amazing.  Thanks, everyone. 

More about Becca here.

Teusday Morning Musings...

Ways I Would Dispose of Disposable Income if I Had Any:
1. Buy more shoes
2. Buy LOTS more books (and not the used ones I normally get from DI, but brand spanking new ones from a store that only sells books)
3. World Peace (can you buy that?...maybe I'd get a new car instead)

Things I Wish I Could Make But Have Been Too Lazy To Learn To Do:
1. Those baby blankets with the cute crocheted fringe on the edges
2. Bread
3. Scented Candles (Ok, I bet I could figure that out, but I couldn't think of a third thing really fast so there you go)

Things I Hope To Do Before I Die:
1. See all my children happily grown and enjoying families of their own.
2. Kiss the Blarney stone (yup, I want to hang over the edge of the castle and everything, no worries, Josh will hold my ankles)
3. See an opera, any opera (except not a German one, that language sounds like yelling to me no matter what they are saying...sorry, no offense Germany)...but Josh refuses to go with me and I don't want to go alone so that one may be tougher than it sounds.

The Best Choices I Ever Made:
1. Living true to my beliefs as a member of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
2. Marrying Josh (he's super awesome!)
3. Having kids (even when they are a nightmare, I wouldn't want life without them)

Things I'm Glad Someone Invented:
1. Vacuum cleaners
2. Memory foam
3. Fingernail clippers

Things I Gave Up When I Had Kids:
1. Some of my favorite music (I love hard rock, but the lyrics and tone aren't always great for kids so I stopped listening to it when my son was born and I have NEVER regretted that choice-- no worries, I love lots of other music too so it has worked out beautifully).
2. Sleep (I imagine when they are all teenagers I will get that back and them feel frustrated that they never stop sleeping, but not for now).
3. Myself...Not entirely, of course.  I am still me, but having kids does mean you need to shelve your own needs and desires.  Some days that is hard, but my kids mean the world to me and putting aside what I want so I can give them what they need is a great blessing in my life...I needed a bit less selfishness anyway.

Reasons I am Grateful I Wasn't Born 200 Years Ago:
1. I can't stand being dirty (not for long anyway)...dirty hands DRIVE ME CRAZY!
2. I would have died in childbirth as my first son's birth was a bit of a mess that could have killed me in the year 2000 and would definitely have killed me in the 1800's.
3. I am a wimp...there's not much more to say about that, I just am.
4. (It's my list, I a can have a #4 if I want to) I HATE cooking with modern appliances, I can't imagine having to spend hours doing it over a fire every day...YUCK!

Reasons I am Glad to be Alive:
1. My family
2. There are just so many fabulous books to read
3. If I was dead worms would eat me.

Bye Bye Baby

On Friday, we grew up.

Ok, maybe not completely.  Josh and I are pretty immature sometimes, I'm not sure we'll ever really grow up all the way (growing old: required, growing up: optional).  But this weekend our family grew up a bit.  We got rid of the crib which has been happily settled in our home for over eleven years.  It has been a necessary feature but now that Ellie is sleeping on a normal bed (sometimes, when she doesn't sleep on the floor or the night stand) we have no need for this well loved, old baby bed.

It was a semi-nostalgic moment for me.  Josh took the thing apart and the kids helped haul it outside.  We bought it when we were pregnant with Bryce so it is now considered a death trap because it has drop sides and all that.  None of our kidlets was ever maimed during the use of this crib, but we threw it away anyhow.  This is the end of an era for our family, just another sign that we are growing up.  Sometimes I wake up in the morning and think, "How did all of this happen?  I'm not old enough to have a house or be the mother of six."  Sometimes it feels like I am too little to be the mom or to have to be responsible for things like bills and yard work and laundry and nutrition. 

But then I have moments that remind me how much our family has grown since it's inception nearly twelve years ago and I can't help but smile because we've come a long way, baby.  We've got a long way to go, but hopefully it will continue to be a fabulous journey.

Also on Friday, PJ must have had a rough day at school because when he got home he fell asleep.  First while sitting at the kitchen table.  Then laying on the living room couch with his backpack still on.  That is a bit out of character.  It made me chuckle just a bit (and pull out the camera for some fabulous candid shots).Then the younger kids were jealous that I was taking Parker's picture and not theirs, so we took their picture too (they are easily pleased...but so am I so they come by it honestly).

Life is good.  It has been a week full of craziness, but that's just the way things are here.  It can be a madhouse, but the smiles out number the tears so I guess we are doing something right after all.