Morgan Turns Two!

Ten years ago, I thought, "Man, there's nothing more annoying than people who try and show you pictures of their kid, how cute they are, how talented they are, how they just had a recent birthday." I used to think, "Man, these parents out there need to get a life, kids are messy, kids are smelly, kids are so demanding...."

Oh what a difference, a decade makes. Happy Birthday My Wittle Shmorgie-Porgie, I love you so much, you're one of the cutest kids I ever had, and when you sang Happy Birthday to yourself, and when you held up three fingers and said you were two, and when you gasped with delight at the sight of your new Elmo bath toy, I melted......

But please don't tell anyone I know, I have an image to maintain, or at least I did, 10 years ago.

June Days

This month, we've been lovin' summertime.... We roasted marshmallows in the backyard, we went to the Santa Barbara zoo, and we even just got back from a weekend in the mountains, boating on a lake, swimming, eating ice cream, and the like. We feel blessed to get to do all of these fun things with the kids, and these moments help break up the long days of routine that sometimes leave us moms feeling like frustrated tires spinning furiously, yet, hopelessly stuck in the mud.

Of course apart from the photo op moments above, there were those moments that make you wonder if you're actually being filmed and are taking part in some kind of warped hidden video camero reality show. Driving back from the mountains, the windy road felt long to the girls, and pretty soon, little voices were crying and whining about stomach aches and potty breaks. Out of desperation, Dan and I stopped at a little building to stretch our legs and get something to eat. As we walked in, we realized the little building was half general store, half SALOON, and I do mean saloon. Here we were with 4 little carsick daughters in the middle of a time warp saloon, with leathery-skinned customers & waitresses. I took a quick picture above, and I knew it was blurry, but when I went to try again, Dan said, "Hey, no pictures, I'd like to get out of this place without having to fight someone..." It was seriously that bad, but hey we ordered nachos, and they were TERRIFIC, too bad Lorelei threw them up in the van an hour later....

Anyway, we got home last night to find my long-lost friend Kelly and her traveling friend Erin waiting for us! That was a fun treat that helped me delay my return to reality. She had told me she was coming to visit Cali. and I told her she could use our place while we were gone, it worked out perfectly, and it was so fun catching up with her. Check out her awesome blog sometime (check my links).

And lastly we came back to a whole bunch of ripe tomatoes which sort of made up for the rotten tomato smell in my van.

Was That Helpful?

I read this parenting book that advises parents not to just say, "Don't hit your sister," or "Don't draw on the wall," but instead to get them to think about why their actions are wrong, you ask them questions.  For example, "Was it kind to hit your sister?"  Logically then, they realize no it wasn't kind, and I want to be kind, so that was wrong.  In theory, this is an excellent concept.  In practice in my home, it often falls flat, when my children show sociopathic tendencies, and reply no, it wasn't kind, and look as if they really don't care that they are mean, rotten bullies to one another.

During the summer, the days get long, and I find myself repeating this question a hundred times a day, "Was that helpful?"

    When you decided to put sunscreen in your sister's hair?

    When you decided to paint your own toenails with fuscia nailpolish?

    When you turned on the hose and soaked your little sister?

    When you left your wet bathingsuit from swim lessons on the carpet behind the couch?

     When you poured an entire bottle of glitter onto the kitchen table? 

     When you colored on the cover of a library book with ink markers?  

     When you saw that your sister had taken off her poopy diaper and then didn't think to mention it to mom, until I almost stepped in it?

All of these things really happened in my household today, and I found myself asking, sometimes screaming, "WAS THAT HELPFUL?!?"

I think I need to read another book.

Binky Anyone?

                                         Oh, like you're not addicted to something.

Summer Entertainment

Summer's here and the girls decided to create some sort of pillow/stuffed animal/crazy train throughout the hallway yesterday. After taking a picture of them, I plopped down on the pillows with them, and they got all excited. Noelle said, "Mom, are you going to play with us?" and Lorelei said, "yeah mom, you can pretend to be the mom!"

Hmmm... it's a stretch, but I think I can do it.

Why I Hate Sports

I think it was in kindergarten when I first discovered that I was uncoordinated.  We were all supposed to do this little throw and catch drill back and forth with a partner, and I remember the teacher pulling me aside to partner with me herself in an attempt to direct me.  She looked at me with a mixture of pity and concern, and then told me to practice more at home.

In 4th grade, we officially began P.E.  and I remember these two new teachers leading us out to the playground.  The female one was stereotypically butch, and Mr. Clark, the male looked bored and annoyed and he had a mustache like Sam Elliot from Mask.  Anyhoo, I quickly realized that they were not interested in any of the one-liners that my other teachers found charming, nor did they buy the fact that I had a stomach ache and needed to see a nurse.  Nope, they were hardened, leathery-skinned former athletes that pretty much hated weaklings like me.  I couldn't hit a ball with a bat, I couldn't run a mile in under 10 minutes, and I definitely couldn't do a pull up.  

Fast-forward to high school and the humiliation just escalated.  This one girl Joy and I were the only 2 freshmen that couldn't do a cartwheel, and when all the "cool kids" would invite me to go skiing for the weekend, I would make up lame excuses because I was terrified of even trying it, since at this point I realized I pretty much had no sense of balance, no natural strength, a bad sense of direction, a fear of heights, no stamina, and  was lacking in any type of coordination.  

So what's the point you ask?  Why did I suddenly feel the need to go on a self-deprecating rant and recall to you, the tragic memories of my youthful inadequacies?   (Who needs therapy, when you've got blogging, right?)  Because now that I'm an adult, and people don't judge me based on my inability to serve a volleyball (never once got one over the net, thank you), you'd think that I'd be over my aversion to sports.  But right now, my husband is HOGGING up the TV to watch the MOST BORING soccer game of all time, and my dramatic sighs and loud shifting around on the couch were ineffective in their attempts to get him to change the channel to ANYTHING other than that.  

So, I was reminded of why I hate sports, because not only was I incredibly bad at them, but they are absolutely painful to watch.

Celebrating 20 Years!

I cannot begin to explain how unique our pastor at Faith Community Church of Oxnard is. I've sat under many pastors over the years, heard literally 100's of speakers in my life, and I can honestly say, Pastor Rick Anderson is one of the greatest expository preachers of our time. He has the incredibly rare attribute of humility and that combined with his intelligence and passion creates the ultimate combo. This weekend our church had a surprise party for Pastor, Saturday night to celebrate his 20years. The theme was JUNK FOOD, because that is his vice. We even had an In & Out Burger truck and for dessert Hostess Twinkies and Cupcakes! It was a precious evening for all of the body of believers at FCC.

June Birthdays

Hello Pink Party.... We decided to have a pink party for Lorelei's 6th bday last night.  It was a hit, except for the Twister game idea.  It turns out participants need to know the difference between their right and their left for that game.  Oh and Lorelei got a bike with no training wheels and she's riding it like a pro.  I'm so proud.

May Pix

This May we.....

      1. Babysat our friend's guinea pigs.  

      2. Went to a Memorial Day barbecue.

      3. Visited my folks in Visalia.

      4. had Grandpa Dennis spend a few days with us from WA. state

      5. Bought bunk beds and painted Lorelei's room.

      6. I said goodbye to my crib, you know the one that I got for Lorelei, that I thought would 

      maybe go through 2, maybe 3 kids over the course of like 10 years.  Instead, it's been in use

       for 6 straight years, four kids, and now that Smorgie's almost 2, I decided I was over it.  I 

      took it apart, put in on my driveway with a FREE sign, and it was gone by noon.  (I love my 

      neighborhood, I never actually have to haul stuff to goodwill, I just put it on the curb, and it 

       disappears).  Someone suggested Morgan may be too young to give up the crib already.  

        The thought hadn't occurred to me because usually when one of my kids is turning 2, I'm 

        welcoming a newborn into the house.  But not this time!  Nope at this point, the only thing 

        I can offer to take care of in addition to my 4 kids, are guinea pigs, and even those were a 

        bit of a stretch for me!