Try to Keep Up

Tuesday was our first crazy day of double baseball. JP had to be at his first practice at 5:45 for a "meet and greet" (which Butch said wasn't very informative). Bubba had to be at his first "official" game at 6:15, but I took him early to warm up. So it was like -30 degrees with the horrible, nasty 90 mph winds. Peanut went with B and JP and then they came over to our game at 7 when his practice was over. I thought I was showing up well prepared with two fleece blankets, my warm coat, gloves, a beenie for Jo Jo, and his own warm blankie. I sat him in the stroller backwards so the wind wouldn't get him so badly. I however, sat right in the wake of the wind with the awesome dirt off the baseball diamond blowing sporadically in my eyes, despite the fact that I was wearing sunglasses. Bubba had a sweatshirt under his jersey. However, all of this awesome preparation on my part, was still not enough. And by the time the other boys showed up, I was watching from the car, which fortunately had a front row view of the field. The other boys, including B, only had sweatshirts on. And for the most part decided to stay outside to play. I came out a few times, like when Bubba was hitting or pitching. They brought him out in the third inning. HOLY COW can that kid pitch! He was doing so much better than practices had been going, and he did just fine then. But this time it was incredible to watch. He was throwing strike after strike. The coaches were amazed, we were amazed; it was just plain awesome. One of the coaches asked me if I had taken him home and beaten him and told him throw strikes "or else." I guess something just clicked for him that night. I think one factor might be that the coach told him after their scrimmage on Sat. that the reason he hadn't put him in to pitch that day was because he was saving his best pitchers for the game. I think that gave him just the boost of confidence he needed. So Rivera you better watch your back. If I can ever figure out how to sink my camera to the computer, I might be able to post some of the video we took.

Then last night we had Pinewood Derby weigh in at our house. So I spent the whole day cleaning my garage and putting together this "easy snap together" wire shoe rack. The shoe situation was getting out of control out there since we had old flip flops, boots, cleats, etc. that don't fit anyone right now. So I put all the ones nobody is using right now in a tote and then put together this rack for all the current outside shoes. So anywho, I had wanted to buy this plastic stacking system or these cool colored totes that stacked, but I let B do the final choosing while I was at home, and he picked the cheaper option. Well, I spent the better part of the afternoon, half swearing, "son of a," but not including the bad word. I did think about it a few times, but kept myself in check. So this thing was the hardest thing to "snap" together. You had to put these plastic things on each side, and they didn't want to just "snap" in like they were supposed to. My hands were raw from pushing on the edges of the stupid plastic. Finally, I had an epiphony and got out the sledge hammer to tap them into place better. That was great until I realized like 4 of these things were on the wrong direction, so I had to figure out how to get them off. Finally, after much pain and anguish, I got the thing together and organized all the shoes. I did call my husband during the process to tell him I hated him. Then came the weigh in. B wasn't home on time and the neighbor who is the committee chair just barely made it in time for the first car because I had no idea what to do, other than how much they were supposed to weigh. B showed up right after and we got all situated. The kids were running in and out and hadn't really had dinner (since we started at 6). Plus, the wind started up again and the shelter of the garage can only keep you so warm, especially when the sun goes down around here. During the lull, I managed to get Bubba and Jo Jo some chicken nuggets. Peanut didn't want anything because he never eats and JP had eaten mandarin oranges and corn for dinner before the weigh in. I know, I know, not very much of a dinner, but he's been wanting that for several nights now. So the weigh in started off kind of bad because we had 3 families here at once- one of my Wolves who has the mental capacity of about a 5 year old and cerebral palsy, another Wolf with serious ADD and his brother with behavioral/learning disablities, and a Weeblo with some kind of learning/behavioral problem that I'm not sure what it is. They're all great kids, don't get me wrong, but they were in B's garage (which was off limits) pulling all the toys out and scooters and throwing basketballs everywhere. I was going a little crazy. It got better after that and not very many more showed up until 3 families at once close to 8 when we were supposed to be done. Of course, 3 of the 5 cars were underweight, so they spent the next hour gluing weights, drilling, etc. I was trying to get kids in the shower and had to go in to wash Peanut and had just gotten him out when they needed me in the garage again so I could write them down since you can't read B's chicken scratch. Oh, did I mention I had to go visiting teaching yesterday to 2 of our 3 ladies? The day before we had visited the other one. This is an entire topic I could post about. Not that I don't like visiting teaching. It's just hard to go with 2 small kids to houses with older ladies who don't have toys or other kids and we have to go twice to get everyone in and my companion is always late, likes to talk a long time (mostly about herself) and then we're late for each appointment. Don't get me wrong, I totally love each one of the sisters we teach and my companion. They're all great ladies; it's just that I can't make my busy life stop that long. It throws off nap time and running errands and getting ready for the next big thing. So finally at about 9 pm we got everyone weighed in. B will have to race Bubba's car for him since he has baseball tonight, along with JP so I'll get to be in 2 places at once. Bet you didn't know I could do that.

Today, my visiting teachers were coming and I realized I hadn't cleaned the downstairs since I had been focusing on the garage yesterday, so no work out, no shower-just feed the kids and clean. Then I had to get Jo Jo down for his nap before I could shower. During his nap, Peanut started crying with a belly ache. I tried to get him to go potty and take a gas pill, but he wouldn't so then I rubbed his belly a little and put him on my bed in the fetal position and told him to lie there for a few minutes while I got Jo Jo lunch, since he had woken up during the screaming. I got him lunch and went upstairs and he was sound asleep. He never has naps anymore so I hope he wakes up feeling better. I came back down to find Coconut with his paper plate in his mouth and the food falling on the high chair tray. Really dude? I got him out to discover he had diarrhea for the third time today. The first was when he woke up in his crib and it had leaked all over the place. I was changing him and he decided this would be the best time to start screaming his shrill, high pitched, un-human, eardrum vibrating scream. You really need to experience it to get the full effect. I've never heard anything like it in my life. Which is funny since he cried like a baby piglet when he was born. I've lost count on how many poopy diapers I've changed this week. And he doesn't really want to eat. Oh yay, he just crawled over here and he smells again. Some days I just really want to run away to a beach somewhere. Actually, I guess that's most days. I feel so inadequate to raise up these future missionaries. I can't even keep it together most days. Hopefully at my day of judgement, the Lord will have pity on me for having to deal with all these boys.

March Journal

I just had to post a couple of entries from JP's March Journal from school. I'd like to think he gets his creative writing skills from his mom, but he's even more creative than I am.
3/11/09
Once I took a trip on a hot air balloon. We floated across the Indian Ocean Austrella and saw my Uncle named Chad and then I whent to California. (I would have to add that he's also a pretty good speller for a 6 yr. old, though, I'll have to work with him on his run-on sentences).

3/17/09
There was once a leprechaun named [Bubba's real name inserted here] and he fowned a pot of gold. And he took the gold and made me see the gold and he triched me. He took the gold and put in one penny.

3/19/09
It's important to save money because you need to pay callage and to by a house and so we can by things that last for a long time.

Maybe someday he'll write that book that I've always wanted to...

Wanna know what I hate? People whose houses are clean ALL the time. You know them, even when you show up unannounced, their house is totally spotless. Where is all their kid's STUFF? Are the kids hidden away in the dungeon if they want to play? Do they spend their ENTIRE day following the kids around picking up after them? And it's not just the "stuff" that's missing when you come over; it's the fact that even the baseboards are dusted. HELLO?! My house is perpetually messy. I'm not an unorganized or dirty person, but I also have 4 BOYS and boys are gross and messy. Plus, I do have a life and lots to do each day. Here's a list of a few of the things I do (not necessarily all of them EVERY day)-Make sure the kids are dressed before school and get some semblance of breakfast (they seem to always forget socks), make lunches, get them to school, make the baby breakfast and get him and Peanut dressed (if Peanut picks out his own clothes, he ends up wearing a sleeveless shirt with church pants or something like that), shower/hair/make-up, exercise, post office, library, grocery store-sometimes even two if they each have different deals going on, returns to stores, laundry, lunch, dinner, laundry, dishes, picking up toys downstairs, vacuum, help with homework (because one gets EXTREMELY distracted if I don't read him each math problem, and the other one has to have me read the spelling words so he can spell them back to me and has to do out loud reading), did I mention baseball practice for TWO kids on the same day at the same times, oh, and scouts of course. So when do I have time to dust the blinds or ceiling fan? So this is what my house looked like yesterday-

Jo Jo followed me into the laundry room. I had unloaded everything from the dryer into a basket so I could fold it, and while I was doing this, he decided to start THROWING everything out of the basket with BOTH hands like a MADMAN. Then he thought he would be helpful and start putting the clean clothes back into the washer. He left the room for a bit and I put the clothes back in the basket, and then he came in and did it AGAIN. He also likes to remove ALL the books from both bookshelves in his older brother's room. Another favorite past time is to remove ALL the tupperware from underneath the cupboard (and we have a ton, not to mention I organize it by size and shape, so when he's done I have to re-do it). And if someone forgets to put the rubberband back on the game cupboard (that's what we use to keep the doors shut togther to keep him out), he unloads every game and remote. And he does all of this with both hands at full speed EVERDAY.

Okay, this IS more than one day's dishes, but you get the point. Each week this job belongs to one of the boys, but inevitably they forget to do it at least once and I just leave it there for them to do the next day, which means the pile keeps getting bigger and starts smelling like sour milk. Of course, I get stuck doing it during Peanut's week, though sometimes he'll at least help load or unload. The third job is to clean the playroom, which usually isn't that bad since the big boys are gone all day and Peanut usually only takes out a couple of bins at a time. Although, the yesterday I went in there and Jo Jo had taken all the DVDs off the shelf and strewn them around the room.

Now, for the kitchen counter. It turns into the place we were leave EVERYTHING-mail, homework, books, magazines, empty pop cans, lunch boxes, and most of the time the boys leave food out instead of putting the boxes back in the closet. And they can't throw a wrapper away to save their lives or put their bowls or cups in the sink. The table also contains homework, books, lots of snacks, crayons or pencils, and sometimes even cars. Oh and lots of sticky stuff and crumbs. Also, did you know that shoes, jackets and backpacks belong in the middle of the walkway from the mudroom (where there is a bench with cubbies specifically designed to hold these items)to the kitchen?

So, I give up. I cleaned off the kitchen counter and did the dishes yesterday (since Bubba left them sitting there so long I couldn't stand it anymore), and you know what? The counter looks like that again today. I'm resolved to the fact that for the next 17 yrs., my house will look like this on any given day, unless we're expecting you. Then I'll slave away and stress out for two days straight to make sure the house looks good enough to live in.

Purple People Eater

Just in case you didn't believe me, the proof is in the pudding. What does that mean anyway? Why would you put anything in pudding. I should research idioms and where they originate. That would make an interesting paper.
 

And for reals, this is my last post tonight. I'm going to bed. This is Tink, and that's the way it is. (Walter Conkrite voice)

I'm So Tired, So Why Can't I Sleep?

Naughty baby likes to climb!

Baby LOVES his brothers and always wants to go outside with them.

New Moon Update

For all you Twilight series fans, New Moon the movie will be released this year on Nov. 20th. Yay!! They have just this past week announced the new wolf pack cast members. Very exciting stuff!

When Will it Be Spring?

Bad news-Baby Jo Jo is very tall and likes to turn the computer off while we're in the middle of stuff! Granted the button has a shiny blue light, but still what a turkey. He also enjoys pulling everything and anything off the computer counter and kitchen table. He also likes to take out all the tupperware. Oh yeah, another mischief maker. He also keeps waking up in the wee hours of the morning. I'm afraid he'll get in the bad habit of wanting to sleep with us again. I had had it the other night when he was awake from 2-4:30 am crying. The next morning Butch said, "Honey he has another tooth-and it's a molar!" Ouch! No wonder he was awake all night. So he has the top four and then the center two on the bottom and now 1 molar, but the molar on the opposite side is pretty much thru. I'm thinking that's weird, but can't remember what the other boys did. I guess I'll have to get out the baby books.

Bubba is officially a pitcher for the Yankees, well not THE Yankees, but still. He is one of the 4 boys they've chosen to pitch because he throws hard enough to make it over the plate, which most of the boys can't do. During a practice last week, he was the only one pitching, which we're hoping doesn't burn out his arm already at such a young age. Butch thinks he'd also be good in the outfield because he throws so hard and really far. So I'm bragging a little, but what can I say, he's very exceptional. JP hasn't had a practice yet, which we're wondering what the deal is. Don't volunteer to be a coach if you're not going to do anything. We did find out, though that he'll be on the Angels, which is mom's other favorite team. I really love baseball, and it's a good thing with all these boys since it's what they love to do. Butch was practicing with them at field the other day and Peanut was hitting off the tee. He said by the time he's in 5 yr. old t-ball, the kids in the field will have to duck because he hits so hard. If he misses, he swings around twice from swinging so hard!

I can't seem to lose a single pound. Could it be that I love chocolate too much? Am I destined to remain "overweight" and enjoying food, or should I make the shift to twigs and berries so I can shed these 20 baby pounds? And before you scoff and say, "You, no way, you don't need to lose that much," I actually do. According to the BMI, my weight just doesn't add up with my height. And since belly fat is a risk factor for heart disease which runs in my family, I guess I should be more serious. It's just so hard when there's a baby yanking on my leg or crawling on top of me to try and get in more than 30 minutes. What to do, what to do...

I wish it were Spring already. At least the sun came out today. Now if it would just get above 49 degrees.