Drama, Drama, Drama!

...and more DRAMA!

I'm exhausted!

Uncle John

A sad time for us. Uncle John died yesterday at home.

Natalie, of course, understands. Olivia and Parker will not really understand for a while, I think. It will be so sad every time we drive near the area toward his house, because the kids always get excited and ask to go to Johnny's house. I know Olivia and Parker will be doing that still every time we go that direction.

I talked to Johnny twice Friday, and he wanted more photos of his "babies". He loved his babies and he loved to spoil them. We have so many special mementos from him.

Even though we all know he had been sick for so long and was just not doing well, it doesn't make it any easier to lose him. We all miss him, and he has so many special friends who will miss him (and his frequent note cards and gifts).

The funeral will be Thursday morning. Billy is with his dad and brother finalizing arrangements right now.

Parker has the stomach bug now, but he is pretty well today. He threw up a couple times yesterday, then he was playing normally late last night. The girls are just tired and not feeling super great. Olivia didn't go to school today, because we got home so late last night, and she was just exhausted. She's in her room (in trouble) right now, and I think she just conked out. She needs it. We all need it.

The party is still on for Saturday, since I have the space reserved. I haven't even finished her invitations yet, so I bet she won't get many classmates from school to come. Oh well...we'll make it a nice day anyway.

Layers

When I woke Olivia up yesterday for school, she was wearing all of the clothes you see in the photo. She looked so chubby, and I don't know how she got some of the layers on, because it was so tight.

Thursday night and all day yesterday I was sick with a stomach virus - on top of the cold I've had for 2 weeks. I think I'm nearing the end of the sickness. My Saturday session was rescheduled for Sunday afternoon, before I got the stomach virus, so that was good. I'll try to do more catch-up blogs later, but I have to catch up on laundry and some paperwork and client stuff, so it may be a while.

Like It or Not

I don't like all of my children right now. I hope I don't get arrested, since this is a public blog and I'm admitting that.

These long hours that Billy is working are really hard on me, too. My day starts early (like 5:30 or 6:00) when Olivia and Parker wake up because they hear Billy leave for work. Then, the kids act horrible because they are so tired. Then, I can't get Parker to take a nap, because it just doesn't fit into the day right. Then, when we pick up Olivia, she is so hyper, and she and Parker create total chaos and destruction the rest of the day. I can't stand this. They have done nothing but horrible, disobedient, naughty, destructive things since we got home from picking up Olivia. It's not fair to me, because I don't get to go to bed until really late, since I don't get to work on most of my stuff until everyone is in bed.

Billy won't be home until after 8:00. I'm so exhausted, and I'm still sick. I had more fever and felt really yucky today. I was supposed to make deliveries and some other errands, but I couldn't take a shower, because there was a water break and we were without water from last evening until about 4:00 today. Of course, I couldn't take a shower when it came back on, because I had two wild Indians destroying everything.

I am researching locking mailboxes right now, and we will be purchasing one for the neighbors across the street. Parker and Olivia ran other there and got their mail again, and by the time I got to them, they had chewed the corners off a couple pieces. I am so, so, so, so, so, so tired of the disobedience and doing things they know not to do. I feel like I have no control, and I really am trying hard. We have to get the fence put in and be able to keep them in the backyard. I can't take it anymore. Three extreme strong-willed children in one home is exacerbating, and I cannot stand being ignored and disobeyed.

Oh, Happy Birthday to Olivia today. She doesn't get her present or birthday cupcakes tonight, because of all of the disobedience today. Her party is on the 18th.

Cat and Mouse

A couple weeks ago, when we got back from picking up Olivia at school, we found Chicken "eating" a rat on the front porch. She had just caught it during the 15 minutes or less that we were gone. We went inside, after I told the kids not to touch the rat at all, because it could have diseases.

Chicken came inside the house with us, and she got down on the wood floor and was panting really, really fast. I thought she might be sick or something. Her breathing was so weird and she wouldn't walk right. I tried to get her to drink water, and she wouldn't. It took a long, long time for her to be back to breathing normally and acting right. I guess she just ran really hard when she was chasing the rat. Olivia was crying, because she thought Chicken was dying.

After we had been inside for a while, the kids wanted to play outside. I didn't want to let them out there, because I was afraid they would try to touch the rat. Olivia didn't want to go outside past the rat anyway. Finally, I decided it would be okay for them to play out there, with me watching. We had opened the door and were all standing right between the glass door and the front door when Chicken began to run toward the door with the rat in her mouth. I quickly pushed Nat the rest of the way from between the doors and slammed the front door. I was inside, and the kids were outside (with the rat). You should have heard how the 4 of us screamed in terror when we realized she had the rat in her mouth and was right by us trying to get into the house. After the door was slammed, I was still screaming inside and the kids were still screaming outside. The neighborhood probably thought something horrible was happening at our house. I started giggling when I realized how we all sounded.

Anyway, we eventually got everyone back in the house (without the rat). I told the kids to not touch Chicken or the kittens for a few days, because of the rat germs.

Of course, I called Billy to tell him about the rat. When he got home, he informed me that although it was big, it was a mouse - which I actually knew, but rat was a better description because it was the biggest mouse I had ever seen.

So, this pic of the "rat" doesn't show how big it was. I should have set something next to it to better be able to tell the size in the photo.

Mexican Scarecrow

So, I made a very regular scarecrow. He was cute and garden-like with a straw hat with fresh greenery stuck along the side and some yellow flowers hanging out of his pocket, and a bandanna around his neck. I had a Mexican dream the night after making the scarecrow. Then, I saw one of the other scarecrows being carried into the school that morning, and it looked very "normal" like mine, and it was good, too. So, I started thinking about how we could make ours more unique before I had to take it up to the school that afternoon. We went Mexican. It was definitely unique. (Not pretty, but unique.)

That evening at the parents' meeting, I found out that pretty was better than unique and creative when it comes to scarecrow judging. Either that, or the scarecrow judges at Olivia's school are prejudice against Mexican scarecrows.

Billy had seen the normal scarecrow the night before when he finally made it home, and he thought it was really cute and that I did a good job. Then, after the meeting, I told him that we didn't win the contest (or even place in the top 3), and he looked at the pics and said, "No wonder. He's ugly in the face." Poor Mexican scarecrow. I think he's cool.

He had a holster on, but you can't really see it in the pics. He was a lawman.

Maybe the judges didn't like the way it looks like he's sitting on the stick.

Next to our scarecrow, you can see the other "normal" scarecrow. It didn't place, either. The ones that won (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) were all small (kid-size) and not really special - or even that good. I would have picked 3 totally different winners. There were a couple of really cute little ones, like one that had a paper bag face and jewels for the face features and yellow yarn braided like a little girl. It was cute.

Weekend Project

This past weekend, I completed (almost) a project that others can actually see. Usually, I work really hard on projects, and the results are not always visible to others (like business stuff and some "behind-the-scenes" or "behind-closed-doors" kinds of organization).

I moved all of my office stuff to Parker's old room and moved all of his stuff to his new room. I painted his new room and hung some of his artwork.

I will be taking a vintage map to the frame shop later this week, as well as getting frames for two photographs of Parker that will hang on the wall above his bed. Also, I will be putting his saying that I made for him onto another board that will be framed and hung on the wall above his bed. I still have to re-paint all of the trim work, too. Then, I need to get the wood blinds for his window.

I need to complete his closet organization. It's so funny looking in his closet and then walking into Nat's room and looking at her closet completely full of clothes and accessories. A boy's room is sooooooo much easier (no purses, pantyhose/tights, tons of panties, slips, dozens of belts, church dresses, regular dresses, dress-up dresses, summer dresses, undershirts, sweaters for every fall/winter outfit, church coats, regular coats, play coats, all kinds of hats for all occasions, other winter accessories...........). Plus, Parker has less memorabilia to store.

I think I accomplished quite a bit over the weekend. Billy moved the bed for me, but I did everything else. There was a ton of office stuff to move out. (I also went out of town for a photography project.) Anyway, here is what it looks like so far: (I'll post good images when it's all completed.)

The wall art saying and two black-and-white photos of Parker will go above the bed here.

I didn't have the red sheet on the pull-out bed in this one. I also still have to paint his step stool.

There's a kitten under the horse.

Un-organized closet. I'll finish it later this week.

Wood blinds coming soon.

The wooden model airplane is suspended. Don't know if you can tell in this pic.

Blank wall where the big vintage map will go.

Fireproof

Get ready for a bunch of random blogs throughout today and tomorrow - hopefully. I'll try to do some catching up, but I'll probably skip a lot that I originally intended to include.

Natalie is learning about the community helper "firefighter" in social studies right now. Parker is enjoying the class.

It reminded me of something cute Parker did last week. He was playing outside and wearing his firefighter hat. He found his firefighter ride-on car and was playing fireman. I saw him switch hats to Bob the Builder for a while and push his big dump truck really fast and do a little, then he switched back to the fireman and was working really hard. He came inside and was out of breath (dramatically). He said, "Mama, I'm tired out. I was putting out the fire for Bob the Builder. I did this (and he made a siren sound). Then, I blew it out like this (then he showed me how he blew it out like a candle a bunch of times). I'm tired from fighting that fire." It was pretty much just like that, and it was so cute how he was panting from all that hard work.

Last week, the firefighters and truck went to Olivia's school. She sat in the teacher's lap shaking when the fireman put on his mask and was talking through it. I saw some photos of the day, and Olivia did not look happy to be anywhere near the firefighter. I know she has seen Billy in gear before, but I guess not with the mask over his face.

We went to see Fireproof last night. It's really good for couples. Of course, I enjoyed it because it had my alternate husband (Kirk Cameron) in the starring role. Aunt Patty remembers how much I "loved" him when he was the "it" guy and big on "Growing Pains". I had such a crush on him and wrote on something at Aunt Patty's that I loved him and would forever love him and was going to marry him. I think I found and finally threw out my Kirk Cameron posters when I married Billy. I guess I transferred my crush to Billy (Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp were somewhere in between that time - with a few others), but Kirk will always hold a special place in my heart.

I have to go help Parker with his circles. He gets so frustrated when he can't get them just right. Poor guy got the perfectionist gene.