Dad's Bud ~ New things all the time

Dad's Bud and Daddy O are in Cub Scouts together.  His latest project was to build this plane. 

 

His aunts need to see pictures of his latest project.  He did such an awesome job.  I am so proud of his efforts to try new things and persevere through new challenges.  

I want this!

I saw it at Marshall's.  Didn't think I had a place for it.  Then my brain stuff started kicking in....
Hubby has been more than accomadating to get the basement in order and I found a place. 
But it was gone.  Sigh.....    I think this sign fits out home very well.  Maybe another day, another time. 

Out of the running for Mother of the Year!

Super Bowl Sunday, I lost any chance of winning the title. 
I went from being aghast and shocked and laughing out of pure shock to grieved and shedding a few tears. 
Again with the whole head injury thing.   I am beyond being able to make decisions. I defer all decisions to hubby. 

Fun Girl asked to have friends over for Super Bowl.  I didn't grasp all the details till the day before and day of...10+ girls invited!  It was all on Fun Girl to do what needed to be done.  The guys went to my in-laws.  Well, all except Hockey Player.  I took him to hang with the 7/8th graders from church.  Little Princess stayed with us at the house and had her own friends over.

Somewhere along the way, I understood the game ended at 9.  Hubby would be home and pick up Hockey Player and all would be good.  I can't keep up with departure times and such to get Fun Girl to work on time much less navigate all the stuff that gets thrown at me during the day.  I have turned into a one thing a day kind of gal.  Get to thinking about too many things, my head hurts, I get tired, I get really tired. 

So back to the party.  My job besides chaperone, is to work on my clutter mess while every one is doing their thing.  I do my job well.  I reduce my mountain by about half.  A beautiful aesthetic improvement to the room.  Hubby comes home. Do you notice?? Do you notice???  Compliments. Winding down.  Chidlren sent to bed.  I am thinking I might just go to bed and how sleepy I am starting to get.  Then the hubby asks me, "Where's Hockey Player?" 

I don't know.  Hubby looks at me really hard. 

Talking about an hour and a half after Hockey Player's party ended.  The kid didn't even call me.  Hubby looked like he was going to blow out of frustration.  He needed sleep.  He needed to go to work.  Called the parents hosting....I made record time to the house.  Stuttered and stammered and slurred through my apologies...

Why didn't HOckey Player call?  Well, one of his friends had just left 30 minutes prior.  He knew we would come.  Just figured we had to wait till all the kids had left our house.  The parents...well they knew what Super Bowl night can be like with a bunch of kids that can't drive.  Figured we were up to our eyeballs in the chauffeur business.    Nope, just brain damaged and forgot one.  I am so glad I had not climbed under the covers yet.  The only thing that could make this story worse. 

Hockey Player totally unphased.  He didn't even remember this was the second time Dad and I had miscommunicated and left him waiting.  He really is too quiet of a kid... he needs to become more of a pest and NOISY...  I feel like pond scum.  I love that boy way to much to forget him.  I am glad I didn't wake to a phone call wondering if all was okay and if we wanted our son back ?!?

Learning experiences in the HARD

I have been quiet for a few weeks.   Been walking through a season and learning and leaning on my Heavenly Father.  Sometimes life is just HARD.  There is no way around it.  Sometimes not only it is HARD, but there comes a tiredness that is HARD to overcome. 

I am grateful to be blessed with a husband who allows me some time to wrestle and cry and work it through.  This year I have faced some overwhelming HARD changes in my life.  What makes it all HARD is I struggle with depression and while some seasons are easier to roll with the punches, others are not so easy. 

Earlier in the year, it became known that my momma has dementia.  She is way too young.  Her memory/mind seems to be declining more rapidly than we would like.  Growing up in a not so idyllic childhood there has been estrangement and stress in all the relationships in my family.  When my mom moved to Kansas, our relationship for the first time improved and we became a bit more like friends.  Guaranteed the first move in Kansas she was a couple of hours away, but then there was another move and she was closer.  Only 30 minutes driving.  Not really sure exactly when things started showing up and realized something was wrong, but it was shortly after the last move.  Just bizarre things.  Things I let annoy me.  Eventually it was things I allowed to hurt me.  Now I look back and I see, I see oh so much clearer.  The energy I wasted being annoyed, the energy I wasted on frustration.  I kept voicing I was concerned.  Never could put a finger on it.  The changes they happen so gradually.  Excuses are made, slip ups laughed off until no longer you can remember life being different.  Then a photo album comes out and as I flip through the pages I remember a different time.  Something is wrong....

This past month though, with a kiddo in the hospital and a call that my Granny was declining and not doing well at all and I should visit as soon as I can.  Estrangement happening again with my Dad and my Mom not being the Mom I remembered, I crumbled.  Sometimes you just want your Mommy and her hugs.  You can't always have what you want.  I had to find what was enough.  So I have been quiet here, but not so quiet with my Heavenly Father.  Remembering to praise Him for who He is and in all the ways He loves me and shows me He is there, even when deep in my heart I just want to have a pity party.  Allowing Him to collect my tears.  Putting one foot in front of the other, although sometimes it is pretty sluggish.  Trying to push through the dark clouds and trust God is with me even in the storms and it is HARD.  Cause that is what it is about TRUST when times are HARD.  During the easy times building a foundation that can whether the storms of life no matter what they bring.  Something my Mom taught me just by living day after day with the Lord for almost as long as I can remember back to.....

Ready for the Big Bumps!

 Remember this post last month?

 

 

Well now, he is free and clear!

Not much of a smile for the camera.

But he is excited and ready for the Big Bumps.

 

 

And what exactly are Big Bumps?  I don't really want to know.

This past weekend, Daddy O and I worked Bingo. 

Hockey fundraisers to help pay for, well, Hockey.

Couple of dads were talking.

Dad One asked if Hockey Player was back. 

Dad Two said yes, and I responded "sorta."

There was a choked back laughter.

See, DaddyO was otherwise busy elsewhere in the room.

I KNEW something was up.

I explained Daddy O told me there was no contact allowed, so Hockey Player got on the ice for a game on Thursday.

 Some how it came out....not sure how.

Hockey Player took a hit in the corner.

Went down, then knocked the other guy down.

DaddyO returned and I tolded him, he was busted....

His response, Just a little bump!

Hockey Player even jumped up and let DaddyO know all was good.

 

Good Heavens Can't Trust the Two of the Them to Follow Doctor's Orders.

 

Cornered Hockey Player the next day and asked about his hit.

His response, "HUH?? What hit?"

Just a little bump.

Told him he was busted.

Couldn't remember knocking anyone else down.

 

I get told to quit making it a big deal.

 

Doctor laughed and shooked his head.

Said he would see us the next day.

Not funny doc.

Just to prove it, I told him we would be at church and not hockey.

Well then maybe Friday.

 

better NOT!

 

 

 

He took a Pounding!

Daddy O came home Friday morning with a Suprise!

He received his official pounding !

Defined~ The guys all got to punch him in the arm where his new stripe will be attached!

 

This past spring he was promoted and received his new job duties.

However, with all things government and military.

There is paper work.

Sometimes the paper work gets misplaced.
Sometimes the paperwork needs to be redone.

But, alas, it is done.

Daddy O learned the news the day before when he looked at his future pay stub online.

Friday morning before his shift was over the Boss Man asked if he would like to do this thing?

Daddy O chose to not call us.

Chose not to have the formal ceremony.
So much time had passed.

So he came home with his suprise. 
GOOD MORNING Peeps!

 

 

When dad is home

When dad has the day off...he mows the yard.

He then interrupts school lessons to call the children outside.

Why!!!???!!!

Because he is an Awesome Homeschool Dad

and he wants to share his discovery.

The children were duly impressed.

 

 

The Man rescues Fun Girl!

On our way to church one Wednesday night this conversation occurred:
Hockey Player, Little Princess and Fun Girl do not take off once we get to church.  Help carry in the cupcakes.
Hockey Player: OK
Little Princess: OK
Silence.... "Um waiting for one more word of affirmation....."
Look at DaddyO.  He looks at me and raises his eyebrows. 
Me: Fun Girl???
FG:  What?
Me: Are you going to respond? 
FG:  Were you talking to me?
DaddyO: Yes
Me: You will help with cupcakes.
FG:  Um yeah... kind of distant and far away.
DaddyO: She is staring off in space day dreaming about the cute guys at church.
FG:  Nooooo!
DaddyO:  (dripping with sarcasm)  OH, like there is no cute boys at church!?!
FG:  Embarrassed and saying "But....
The Man interrupts:  There are too cute guys at church.  I am one of them!!!
Giggle and laughter all around.
Yep, TM, you are right.  There are lots of cute guys in the first grade.  You are soo very right!
Saved by her little brother.

Golfing runs in the family

When Hockey Player isn't playing hockey, he enjoys golf.

He puts for the dog to go fetch. 

He practices at Grandpa's house.

He asks for days at golf course for his birthday.

This summer father and son woke early before everyone else to go to to the golf course.

Afterwards, they showed up to help the Mom juggle kids and dog at the vet's office.

Much to the girls' delight (cause girls' notice these things!)

this father and son, unintentionally dressed alike!

Which brought on giggles and the requirement to take a picture.

 

 

But the story doesn't end there....

Cause as part of homeschool PE, Momma required her girls to join the Junior Golf

Program for the summer.

$10 ~ 8 Mondays of golf lessons and time on the golf course.

An awesome deal and exposure to something new and different.

Then on game day, the girls get out of the suburban and guess what???

This is what they looked like!

 

 

Yep, they are sisters and it was unintentional. 

Their reaction was nothing less than unimpressed.

To make matters worse, Mom had to take a picture!

But that is what makes the best memories.

 

 

Just Like Dad....

Shopping not too long ago with the kids, THE Man
finds a pair of shoes. 

He won't give up.

He has gotta have them.

I stop the hunt and say something like, but you won't wear them.

"Yes, I will."

and before I say yes or no

he says,

"I am getting shoes just like daddy, only daddy's are bigger!"

How could I say no?

 

Hubbie is a little tired today...

Our Parent Teacher Conference was canceled today. 
Hubbie was a bit tired. 
I wouldn't care to guess why...

This is what we did on Saturday:

Up and deposited Fun Girl at work first thing in the morning &
Hockey Player to the church for training.
Yard Work
Trip to the store to :
Search for special lightbulbs for the basement....gotta have light to do school
Parts to repair the stairway gate
Curtain rods for his daughter's rooms
Pick up Hockey Player, cause shopping took just that long!
Meanwhile I am taking pictures for Ebay
Running the dishwasher (mind you...we did 4 loads of dishes on Saturday... there were some left from the night before...breakfast, then we did a massive leftover feed for lunch and that alone produced enough dishes for a load)
The laundry machines are running as well.

Hung the curtain rods and curtains !  What a guy. ;)
Fixed the gate
Replaced the basement lightbulbs.  The Man enthusiastically noticed and said a glorious Thank You to his dad.
Due to a lack of rain and childish curiousity which led to unplugging the sump pump, our sump pump has not run all summer.  Not a good thing.  The water has become stagnant.  Thankfully, it was discovered before the house started to smell.  Stirring the water to flush it out, there was some odor, but the house vented really quickly. 

Trip to the nursing home to see Granny.  Her birthday was Friday.  84!
Cheesecake and a song were on the agenda.









Lots of Smiles.  If we didn't reflect back on the happenings of the day or stop to look at the photos.  An hour of smiles and relationship could easily be lost in the business.


Home to work on Home School Planning and Preparations.  We managed to get through 4 kids' studies. 
While Daddy O was working on all the above, I was cleaning...purging and recycling old school stuff and.........
packaging up Ebay items we have sold.
Kids worked on various chores and played games together. 
Hockey Player cleaned up all his old hockey gear.  The younger brothers have found their own paths and no longer desire to follow big brother in hockey.  So it is time to sell brother's stuff.
Stomped down the recycle bin more than twice....and filled it some more. 

Picked up our Fun Girl from work. 
Dinner. 
More work.
Showers...cause church is in the morning and we can't have smelly children. :)
Kids folded all the laundry from the weekend! 
Daddy-O reserved an hour to watch the fastest men in the Olympics.
And then we crashed....

Conversations I wish I had never heard!

Some conversations make Mom's eyebrows raise such as this one between Big O Daddy O and Fun Girl

FG:  My nails are longer than your nails. 
BODO: My hands are stronger than your hands.
FG: My smile is brighter than yours.
BODO: My head is shinier than your yours.
FG: My hair is longer than your hair.
BODO: My chest hair is longer than yours.
And silence...............
FG:  My nose is cuter than your nose. (whew,  I thought they were going to compare nose hairs!)
BODO:  I got one you don't have...My butt is bigger than your butt.
Giggles, giggles, giggles!
BOGO:  Now you are suppose to say, "My (chest) is bigger than your (chest)"  Well maybe not!

2 different definitions of clean............

I have been on a cleaning spree.  My family keeps trying to hide.
Though husband is happy about this sudden urge to clean.  It means I am the one doing it.
Lately, I have been urging him to conquer, the basement boys' bedroom.  When we had 2 boys upstairs sharing the room, I normally attacked it at least monthly.  Since the combo room moved downstairs, I have just avoided it like the plague.  Begged hubby to take on the instructing of his boys in how to clean their room.  Finally, out of desperation to try and find Hockey Player's i-Touch, I headed down there.  Not too bad, since 2 weeks ago, Big O Daddy did venture down there to help the boys.  The first thing I did was pull out a drawer from under the bunk beds. 

NOT SO GOOD! ! ! !

I found 4 rolls of toilet paper.  Mostly unrolled!  What on earth??   None of it used, which was actually pretty cool..cause I had just run out of toilet paper in my bathroom.  Now I didn't have to go to the store right away.  I continued to pull stuff out from under the bed.  Mind you these are twin size bunkbeds.  With drawers underneath.  There isn't a lot of room under there.  I filled a large dirty clothes hamper with laundry and 2 trash bags with trash. 

I thought the men (husband included) cleaned 2 weeks ago.  On one of the many trips up the stairs, I popped into the bedroom and gently woke my not feeling well hubby, to tell him, "Our definition of clean is NOT THE SAME!"  He just rolled back over and went to sleep.

I kept asking my kids over and over.. "any sentimental value, attachment issues"  As long as the answer was no, it went into the trash.  That worked really well with "The Man" until he realized trash bag really meant trash.  Ohhhh the tears.  He would follow Hockey Player to the dumpster with the bags.  We started trying to slip things out while he wasn't looking. 
Then I started in on the closet!
I don't know how they live like this.  I know where all the socks have been hiding.  No wonder they never seem to have any clean clothes.  All their dirty clothes ended up in the toy box.  Aiy!!
I forced them to stay with me and clean. 
4 bags of trash + 2 laundry hampers filled later, I announced, "NOW you know to clean your room!"
Hockey Player looked at me with his big eyes and said, "Ok."
Time will only tell. 

When I Grow Up...

and get married and become a dad.
Those were the words I heard come out of "The Man's" mouth the other day.
I had to shake the shock and finishing listening to what he was going to do...

When I grow up and get married and become a dad I am not going to Sparks and Awana.  I am going to stay at home. 

Silence from Mom.  He was trying to make a point. 
Then I said, "I am sorry, I will be very disappointed in the man you have become if you do that."

Silence.

Why would he say this?  He loves Sparks.  He loves Awana. 

He has recently discovered a favorite show is going to be on tv on Wednesdays.

I quietly told Big O Daddy O about this conversation in the car.  He chuckled and he told me why.

I guess "The Man" has been making his case to Dad recently when he couldn't win me over.  I had told him, I wasn't willing to lock him in the closet and I had given my word to serve at Awana.  I was going to keep my word.

So as he is making his case to Dad he tells Big O Daddy O,

"I have to watch it on Wednesday! It is a new episode!  Then it will be a re-run and I HATE re-runs!"

There you have it.  When he grows up and becomes a dad he will never probably watch tv because he will only get to watch the re-runs. 

When Dad Speaks, All Must Listen and Obey

Sometimes life gets a little you know crazy with our crew.

Big O Daddy O, sometimes, gets a little discombobulated.

When he does, he can be heard saying,

"GO STAND ON YOUR HEAD AND BARK LIKE A DOG!"

Well, Flutter Nutter obeys, and obeys, and obeys this command.

And then Daddy's Buddy joins in!

At least their energy is directed elsewhere.

Away from the Big O Daddy O, who just needs a little more space at the moment.

I don't play possum !!

I catch frogs.  I catch toads.  I catch snakes.  I will even hold a boa constrictor.  I dissect creatures for science classes.  I put worms on fish hooks.  I take fish off of fish hooks.  I don't do possum. 
I "caught" a possum eating Gus' dog food last night. 
Scared it off.  Except it went under the house.  **sigh**
Now we know why Gus keeps having the HUGE barking fits.  Why he runs like a crazed animal we don't recognize.  He runs in circles from one of the yard to the other, back and forth, back and forth for what seems like forever.  Barking and freaking out. 
So I started making calls this morning.  Animal control won't do anything.  Told us to talk to Animal Services.  They don't do anything.  They told us to call  the Department of Wildlife.  They don't do anything. 
Somewhere along the line someone thought it was helpful to tell me we probably had a nest under my house. 
A NEST ! * ** * * *  A NEST !  * * * **
And noone can be of help.  They offer suggestions on how to trap them.  Tell you how to release them. 
And then they all feel the need to tell me the good news...they don't carry rabies.
And then they tell me, they have ugly smiles and yucky mouths.  Their mouths are incredibly dirty and full of bacteria.  BUT they don't bite unless provoked.  They are possums.  Don't bite unless provoked.  I kinda forget some of the other things they said it was rare for possums to do... Cause all I can think is I have 3 boys.  Setting a trap to catch a possum would be cool.  As for bites and how rare that is, I am having flash backs to a collison with a bowl of ice cream and the need for stitches....and the many other strange and rare events my family has had the joy of experiencing.  Somewhere along the line, something was said about kids and traps and not a good idea and I start hyperventilating..
Big O Daddy O looks at me.  I am hyperventilating.  Pretty much freaking out.  My kids jaws are on the floor.  I don't do possum.  Giant, filthy, bacteria infested, foaming from the mouth, overgrown, wiry, hairy, ugly RATS!  I break down sobbing, big sobbing.  Big O Daddy O just looks at me.  I sobbed, I don't know why I can't do this, I just can't.  I do all the other things, just not possum.  PLEASE, GET THEM OUT OF HERE! ! ! !  It doesn't help not knowing if there is a "nest".  I am certainly not getting down on the ground to look under my house.  This is not the kind of zoo I live in/with.  This could take days, weeks....  Can I go somewhere else, please????

My guy...without always meaning to often turns me back to My GOD...

Taken earlier this summer.  All dressed up for work.  He like his job.  Then the other day he blew me away with the question, "What do you think about moving to Kansas City?"  Stopped my heart, questions ran through my mind faster than a wild Cheetah.  Then I paused and asked him why?  What was he thinking?  Whew, so glad I asked those questions instead of responding with my first thoughts. 

But, he has gotten me thinking.  When we first married, moving wasn't a big deal.  I had moved a lot.  I had never lived anywhere more than 3 years until my teen years.  I lived in Colorado for 5 years and then moved my senior year.  Though I never changed cities or states after that move, there were lots of moves from family homes to dorms to apartments and then I married.  Our first apartment and then our first home.  I seriously told him, I wanted to never move again.  A home to grow our family in.  It wasn't that I was tired of moving.  But the cost of buying a home overwhelmed me so much, I never wanted to do it again.    Now a family of seven, each person with their own stuff!  I can't imagine the hurdle of moving.  I can only imagine it taking a year to accomplish.  A year to pack and then unpack.  Oh, my! 

But this time when he asked me what I thought about moving, I didn't think about packing.  I thought about the kids, their friends, our doctors, our church, our hockey association, our homeschool network, our family.  I realized we would still be near family.  There would be new opportunities.  A lot of new transitions.  A lot of new opportunities to see God work.  Relationships take time to build. I really rely on the security of having known our physicians for the last 5-15 years depending on the family member.  There is a security in the known.  I would have to trust in the security of knowing the One who Knows.  For now, I am grateful my husband was just looking for a conversation.  He does this sometimes. Makes me wish he would try a slightly less startling opener.  At least I was able to sleep afterwards. 

A New Flutter Nutter Quoteable !

Everyonce in a while Big O Daddy O breaks into the
"You say Poe-tae-toe, I say Poe-ta-toe;  You say Toe-mae-toe, I say Toe-ma-toe"
Well in our house there is always a mispronouncing something or other and it happened again.  To which B-O-D-O broke into the above quotation...
Then Flutter Nutter responded with, "So it's an onion?"
Completely confused and very serious.
The rest of us all laughed. 
Now, he wants dad to say it again, just so he can ask, "So it's an onion?"

Did you know? Now I know! !

Ever wonder how someone's keys can just be there on the ground by the side of the road. Maybe it is a water gun or a pair of scissors. I have wondered how on earth some of this stuff gets lost! Now, I know. I wish I didn't know. All you need is a kid who can get into things and not put them back where they belong.
Today...Daddy's Buddy "borrowed" Dad's keys to get something out of dad's car.
Didn't just unlock the door from the garage door and hang them back up. Nope! He carried them out to the car. Then he carried them into the garage and placed them on the suburban's side runner. Close but not close enough to the keys' home. Hockey Player saw him do it. He didn't stop to think that is not where they belong. Nope! Not one bit ~ ARGH!
Big grocery shopping trip across town at the commissary. We drove the suburban of course. didn't know to check for car keys. Few more errands in the suburban. Time to go to Bingo, BigODaddyO can't find his car keys. Little bit of irritation, little bit of frustration, story comes out..........ugh!
I walked the neighborhood, hoping maybe they bounced off close to home. No such luck. Should be interesting to learn how much this one is going to cost. No spare keys for the car. :( That was the only set. At least I got a really good, long walk with the dog out of this experience.
All those things along the side of the road, are probably there courtesy of some young child who went to bed wishing he had listened about putting things away when you are done with them!

Because Dad isn't the only one....

A big thank you to Big-O-Daddy-O on this Veteran's Day. He may not deploy and he may not see the horrors that some do, but he does hurt with those who hurt, prays for those who are in harms way and he takes care of business on this end. He realizes it is his job to serve the guys over there (wherever) so they are not left unprotected and unequipped. Thank you!