things i don’t really love

• finding my [borrowed or otherwise] personal belongings carelessly left on someone else’s bedroom floor
• finding anyone’s personal belongings carelessly left on a bedroom floor
• having to buy a new comb and rubberbands every time i go to target because nobody ever puts them back where they are supposed to go (inside the bathroom drawer)
• washing clothes that aren’t dirty or haven’t even been worn- just thrown in the hamper because it was easier than putting them away
• seeing broken hanger after broken hanger on the girls’ bedroom floor because they never hang them back up and then, surprise!, they get stepped on and broken
• buying more hangers at target
• getting up at 6 a.m. to be overworked and underappreciated
• waking up to a dirty kitchen
• getting ready in the morning
• having people mis-interpret my blogposts
• ray opening and closing the shower door over and over while i’m showering
• discovering an empty shampoo bottle- after i’ve already gotten into the shower
• dumping a costco-sized container of salsa all over myself and the counter and the fridge and the floor because my child simply put the lid on top of the bottle and didn’t actually go the extra mile and screw it on
• having my daughters declare their room clean, only to find an entire garbage bag’s worth of garbage/items on their floor and windowsills (yes, i’ve officially turned into my mom)
• forgetting all the good ideas i just had while i was in the shower
• losers who hack into people’s facebook accounts and post ridiculous messages to other people
• itchy pregnancy boobs
• weighing more than my husband
• shopping at any store that’s not online
• it’s october already- seriously? 
• halloween
• having to mail my mixer/blender in to be repaired and wondering when i will ever get it back
• discovering children texting, watching t.v., or playing on the computer when it is time to leave for school and they still don’t have shoes on, their bags packed, lunches made, etc. 
• having children blame me for making them late to school
• watching a soccer game in the rain
• free-loaders
• stained armpits of my shade shirts
• the annoying sound of a clock ticking
• having someone carry a straight-from-the-microwave-hot movie-theater extra buttery popcorn bag all the way upstairs and onto my bed to have me open-  upside down. 
• big yellow grease stains on my white bed sheets
• maternity pants that i have to keep pulling up
• wasting money trying to balance out christmas presents for 5 children; will i ever get it right?

and those are just the things i’ve encountered in the last 24 hours.

i’m posting early so my list doesn’t get too out of control.  what would make your list today?

another one?

september in the harward family is like june in the barry family (only not that bad).  and september in the clark family is just plain ridiculous.

today is this sister’s birthday.

she is the baby in our family.  our baby turned 29 today.  29.  isn’t that weird, mom? 

kristen is lots of things.  she is

1. resilient
2. emotional
3. tough
4. scarred
5. accident-prone
6. a good mother
7. living her dream of being a mom and wife
8. a wonderful aunt
9. an attentive sister
10. my mom’s shadow
11. stubborn
12. willing to do anything for anyone
13. affectionate
14. often mistreated
15. smart
16. deserving of having people take her seriously as an adult in our family
17. compassionate
18. in love with babies
19. crafty
20. a hard-worker
21. excitable
22. funny
23. dangerous
24. is often teased for saying, “sorry!”
25. willing to try new things
26. brave
27. talkative
28. fun
29. not told often enough how much she is loved and appreciated and valued in our family

kristen, we love you and hope you had a super fantastic birthday!

for reals, this time

nolan really got his tubes removed this morning.  we did the same routine as last monday:  nolan fasted, special family prayer, dad took him to his early appointment, i met up with them after all the kids got off to school.  this time around, nolan was not nervous at all.  he was super excited to get this done.

  waiting
the vending machine sold books and games- how cool is that for a waiting room?
  more reading his tubes:  so tiny and rubbery/flexible
  for elli the i.v. site where he “was injected with his super powers”
serious concentration on the kids’ menu at red robin

 in full recovery mode:  oblivious to everything except for the wasteful content on the disney channel. 

i missed all the waiting and pre-op stuff, but i got there in time to receive him as he was coming out of anesthesia. 

since he has had tubes put in twice {when he was one and four}, i was expecting him to be very weepy and confused and drugged up- just like he was then. 

so i was totally shocked when nolan wheeled himself into the recovery room with a big smile on his face.  no tears, no crazy “what is going on and why do i feel so weird?” questions.  just my normal, happy son- who’s had more anesthesia in his 7-year life span than I have in my 35 years. 

His only side-effect was his slow, slurred speech- which he even saw the humor in. 

He gulped down 2 full cups of gatorade, ate a grape popsicle, downed a [tiny] package of graham crackers and was just  tickled to be hanging out with just me (and damon for a bit before he left for work) and his Diary of a Wimpy Kid book.  i was just as tickled to be with just him- as physically-awkward as it was to have a 7 1/2 year old trying to cuddle up to me with my 7-month pregnant belly. 

after we were discharged, we ditched our 7-11 tradition and headed to red robin [cuz surgeries are just as special as birthdays].  nolan was just as happy as could be.  he insisted on bringing his tubes in to show our waitress (and the greeter and the bus-boy) that he had just come straight from the hospital- even though he was supposed to be in school [giggle/shrugged shoulders].

as my one-on-one time came to halt with the picking up of ray from preschool, i had a huge smile on my face.  because i remembered the comment the nurse made when she came in to give us our post-op instructions.  she simply told me, “you have a delightful boy.” 

and this much i already knew.  he is delightful.

who knew that recovering from surgery could be delightful?

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emotional

that’s what i am today- pregnancy hormones and all.

• i cried because one of my children forgot to get my bag out of the car at church.
• i cried because nobody seems to think about anyone else in our family except for themselves.
• i cried because the opening song in church was Come Come ye Saints.
• i cried because i felt my husband’s love and concern for me with the simple touch of his arm around my shoulders.
• i cried because emma was/is concerned about why i’m crying so much today.
• i cried because our bishop is awesome.
• i cried because the testimonies in our ward today were especially wonderful.
• i cried because my children were being oddly reverent during sacrament meeting today (perhaps because every time they looked my way, i was in tears?).
• i cried because the closing song was Lord, I Would Follow Thee.
• i cried because my friend told me after church that elli bore her testimony in Young Women today.
• i cried because someone asked me why i was crying.
• i cried because i am so proud and excited and concerned about my brother who was put into his ward’s bishopric today.
• i cried because my mom called to tell me how proud she was of my brother, but hadn’t told him.
• i cried because i wish so badly that certain brothers wanted to be a part of my life.
• i cried because i just don’t know how to show my love for those same brothers in a way that they feel loved.
• i cried because savannah can’t seem to follow directions for her homework that she’s been working on since friday.
• i cried because my daughter is teaching herself how to play Simplified Hymns on the piano right now.
• i cried because i wish i criticized my children less and showed my love for them more.
• i cried because the RS Broadcast was really awesome last night, and i was reminded today of little inspirations i had last night.
• i cried just because i was already crying and my face was a mess anyway.
• i cried because i’m both really grateful for so many blessings in my life and- at the same time- really frustrated with other smaller details in my life.

and that’s the kind of emotional day i’m having.

and i’ll probably cry about that, too.  

skinny cows

ray:  “mom, are fat cows the ones who make the milk for the ice cream- and then the skinny cows are the ones who really make the sandwiches?”

not ready to tackle

man oh man was today a ridiculously busy and tiring day.  and i’m not ready to tackle it yet- on my blog.

here are the important details:

bright and early this morning, ray turned 5

 

and by the end of the day, he was the dodgeball champion [and we’re not just talking dodgeball champion in our family; we’re talking dodgeball champion of the entire sky high jump arena.  he was awesome]:

and there was a lot of stuff in between.

a lot.

like 450+ pictures a lot.  i have not learned my lesson. 

and i’m too tired to learn it tonight.

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carpool lane

apparently we need one on our street. 

this is how ray got to preschool on monday:

he carpooled with his fellow preschool friend, natalie    

they had plenty of room for their gear

and it was a battery-operated vehicle to boot

do you remember when life was that simple?

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indecisive

even though i was annoyed with myself only 2 days ago for taking so many pictures that i need to sort, edit, upload, order, and scrapbook- i did it again. 

the kids had picture day yesterday, and i took over 150 pictures in a matter of like 7 minutes before school.  what is wrong with me?

i don’t know how people only take one picture or narrow a set of great pictures down to just one or two.  i definitely sift through and delete lots of my pictures, but i always have way more than i need- or even want- of a particular event.

i am so indecisive and it is so hard for me to really narrow these pictures down to shots i really love.  but i keep taking pictures…lots of them. 

                     

32 from 170 isn’t bad, but i’d rather have the total number be more like 12.

i need help.  any obvious ones that stand out to you?

Technorati Tags: emma,nolan,savannah