a few things.

At the end of August, Quinn broke my DSLR camera.  It's been in the shop for weeks now.  I'd like to have it back soon.  Next week, early Friday morning after Thanksgiving, I am embarking on a sibling road trip to the ocean.  I am really looking forward to it and hope to be able to take my camera with me.

*****

Last week, I was driving home with the kids when my phone rang.  It wasn't someone I needed to talk to RIGHT THEN, so I picked up my phone to ignore the call.  As I was setting it down, some evil obnoxious people sped past me waving signs out the window and screaming at me and everyone else on the road to stop texting while driving.  They had a small child in the back of the car.  The male driving was also doing the same thing to cars driving past on his side.  I wasn't texting and had my phone in my hand for about 10 seconds.  When we approached the next stop light, and I had the opportunity to pass them, I flipped the woman off.  It just felt right.  I really dislike agenda people and I was on the way home from the dentist so I literally had a bad taste (and a little grainy dentist grade toothpaste) in my mouth.

Well, my response obviously angered the people in the car, and they hit the gas to catch up to me and scream obscenities and who knows what else at me with their windows rolled down and a small child in the back.  I just turned the music up a bit to ignore them.  Elliott caught them out of the corner of his eye and asked what those people were yelling about (he'd been playing on his kindle and they were so loud, he looked up.)  I told him not to look at them that they were crazy and rude people.  They were.

Because that's safe.  And their wild crazy driving to scream at me was really keeping the roads safe from all those texters.  When I got home I called Ross to tell him.  He said I should have gotten their license plate and turned them in as drunk drivers.

*****

About 6 weeks ago, in the pit of depression about life and weight and diabetes, I rejoined weight watchers for the fourth time in 6 years.  Depending on the scale I use, and the amount of clothing I'm wearing, I've lost anywhere from 10-12 pounds.  It's a good thing.  Slow and steady.

Two weeks ago, I was selected as part of a group in conjunction with Gold's Gym and Harmon's to be part of a three month Liv-a-betes challenge.  I'll write more about it later, but it's a 90 day lifestyle, health, weight challenge and I felt like, the night I walked into the gym and saw the poster, was an answer to some pretty serious praying.

This morning, before the sun was up I went to the gym.  Not to exercise, but to meet with my trainer.  As part of the challenge, I got a free consultation with a trainer and a workout designed specifically for me.  Well, that workout kicked my butt so much more than anything Jillian Michael's or I have ever done, that after some thinking, I decided to sign up for 12 weeks, the duration of my health challenge, with the trainer.  We met this morning to talk about my plan and set up a workout time.  Saturday morning at 6:30 am.  I must have finally found the motivation to get my health act together if I'm willing to get up that early on a Saturday morning to *gasp* exercise.

****

Last week, I made homemade lip balm.  I think I need to open my own etsy shop.  I've got some ideas.  Just not sure how to go about getting it all up and running.

****

I decided in August that I was going to hand make as many of the Christmas gifts I'm giving this year as possible.  I can finally see the light at the end of the sewing and crafting tunnel and only have a few projects left.  I hope my gifts are well received.  I've really put a lot of time and heart into everything I've been working on.

****

On Saturday, I helped my mom and sister clean the cobwebs out of my grandpas house.  I was assigned the office and the basement.  Minus making my sister come and kill a GIANT spider, I did pretty well exploring and cleaning and finding some neat stuff, like a college math book of my grandpa's with his notes in it, some cool church history stuff, and a book of my grandma's that I should have brought home to read called, "A Lusty Wind for Carolina".  I might need to go back and grab that one.

when hard things get better

 

Around 11:30 on Saturday night, my husband returned home.  Elliot had tried to stay up for his dad, but he didn't quite make it.  In fact, he missed it by hours.  My mom and brother picked Ross up at the airport and I was waiting in bed, watching a movie.  When he finally arrived home,  I heard the garage, then the ice machine in the fridge and the bang of his giant suitcase being pulled up the stairs.  He set it down, said "Hello" (I said, "Welcome home!") and got straight to work getting ready for bed.  I sat, watching my movie, while he hustled and bustled around, as quickly as a person who had been traveling for about 20 hours could move, until he felt settled enough that he was ready for bed.

Then he talked.  But not a lot.  He was tired.  I was tired too.

I was so happy to have him home.  In the morning, as the boys woke up for the day, their excitement was hard to contain.  Of course they hoped for, and received souvenirs, but dad being home was like Christmas.

He had been gone since the previous Saturday morning.  Eight days total.  Now, eight days is nothing, especially when thinking about a traveling husband on veteran's day, a day to commemorate those who dedicate years and months of their time away from families, and even their lives to serve and protect.  My husband wasn't serving and protecting in that sense, but he was teaching and taking care of some people in Wroclaw (pronounced Rot-slav), Poland.

Now, we survived, like we always do when he is away, and thankfully he doesn't have to go away that often.  I had a lot of help from mine and Ross' parents.  Thankfully, both boys were in school and our days were pretty uneventful.  We had a lot to do, places to go and people to see.  It was, to be completely honest, one of the harder (maybe hardest in the last year) weeks I've had.  Ross left the day after Elliott and I had been knocked out cold with a 24 hour stomach bug.   Wyatt threw up a couple of times.  Elliott and Quinn had inconveniently timed and messy bloody noses.  Quinn didn't sleep at night pretty much the entire time his dad was gone.  I'd saved a week's worth of errands and projects to do on Saturday, to keep us busy and not thinking about dad coming home and not only was it a long wait, it was maybe the longest day of the week.

But, as we always do, we survived.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and we got a lot done.  The house was a mess, the clean laundry piled in stacks all over the house, but the toys were put away, the island was moderately clean, and the floors were vacuumed and swiffered.  However, survival isn't the right word.  Of course we survived, why wouldn't we?  It's something different.  Carrying on your life every day, while missing a key piece of the puzzle is hard.  It's overwhelming.  Completely and utterly overwhelming.  That's it!   There is a hole in every single day, and it's a hole that no matter how hard I try, it cannot be filled.  My boys missed their dad terribly.  I missed my husband.  I missed having someone to talk to at night before I fall asleep.  I missed that man who takes care of that crazy baby every single night.  I missed all the help that I get from him - physically, emotionally and mentally.  Talking for 20 minutes a day through skype just isn't the same.

There is that old saying, something like "distance makes the heart grow fonder".  Or is it absence?  Doesn't matter, really.  Point is, I'm glad he's home.  And being home is a blessing.  There were a few things I was nervous about while he was gone.  Not hearing the baby.  Having low blood sugar and getting in trouble in the night with no one to help.  My feet not working when I have to jump out of bed and breaking my ankle or something dumb like that.  Well, none of it happened while he was gone.  I HEARD that baby.  All night long, every night.  But the minute Ross was home, I haven't heard him since.  I didn't have any low blood sugar episodes the whole week.  And my feet?  My feet that don't work, have sharp pains (like being stabbed with a knife) when I try to get out of bed in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning?  No pain the whole time Ross was gone.  But, the pain was back this morning.

My little family is blessed.  We are protected and watched over.  And for that, I am truly grateful.

Quinner :: 14 months

Hey Kiddo -

In the flustery blustery craziness that has been this week, I almost completely forgot that last Saturday, the day dad left for Poland, you turned 14 months old.  Fourteen months is pretty much thirteen months, except for the fact that you are *THIS CLOSE* to walking.

 

In the last few weeks you have 8 new teeth.  They all came in at the same time.  You and I have had some challenging times.  You will hold my hand and walk all over the world, but the second I let go, you drop to the floor.  You love to read books.  And eat books.  In fact, we have books in our house that are as old as Elliott, and survived your brothers but they haven't survived you and your chompers.  A couple weeks ago I had to go and buy a new copy of your most favorite animal book because you completely destroyed the one we had.

 

You are such a big kid.  I'm pretty sure your head is as big as Wyatt's. You love your brothers so much and enjoy nothing more than sitting on their beds with them and kicking your feet and laughing with them.  It's pretty cute.  You are pretty brave about food these days too and will try just about everything we give you.  Your favorites these days are pasta and rice and m&ms.  Halloween candy has been bad for your health.  

 

Speaking of Halloween, you handled it like a pro.  Riding in the stroller trick or treating, messing with the basket of candy as the boys passed it out to trick or treaters, climbing on the couch and dad all night long....all of it was your most favorite.  Uncle Willie as a GorillaSquatchBacca was a bit scary at first but in the end, you liked that too.

 

Your latest obsession is technology and it's hitting a fever pitch.  There are a few videos on YouTube that we watch EVERY SINGLE DAY.  You beg for phones and the computer.  This week, while dad's been in Poland, Skype is your new most favorite thing.  Every time you catch a glimpse of the laptop, you beg and beg saying, "Hi dad!  Hi Dad!" and when were talking with your most favorite person, you climb right up onto the table and pretty much do everything you can to get into the computer.  Today, dad put his hand up to the camera and you put your head up to the camera.

Head butts mean I love you.  You can say: Mama, Dad, Hi Dad, Eeeuttt (for both your brothers), Dog, and Uh-oh pretty consistently.  You can do dog, fish, squirrel, elephant, monkey sounds pretty consistently and we're working on a few more.  You can also blow your own nose which has come in very handy.

You are a good good boy.  Except when you don't sleep and mom is home alone with you.  Then there are some struggles.  But, I wouldn't trade your giant snugly squishy babyness for anything in the world.

Love you little squish.

Just for documentation sake. Or, "When it rains, it pours" or #murphys law

 

Let's start with last Monday, a week ago, shall we?

Elliott had school and Ross dad offered to pick Wyatt up from school.  That left me and the little one with a day to ourselves.  I was looking forward to it until we realized our dad forgot his lunch.  We took it to him.  Quinn fell asleep in the car and woke up when we got home.  That 20 minutes was his nap for the day.  The rest of the day was, "A-hem" evil.  Worst day ever being his mom.  Crying and screaming and all around bad news.  We barely made it through the day.

Tuesday:  Killed a black widow in the garage after taking Elliott to school.  Killed it with bee spray and a shovel.  Scared and itchy all day long.  (Still won't go in the basement).  Tuesday afternoon when I took Quinn upstairs to put him down for a nap, I changed his diaper, sat in the rocking chair and SPEW!  That little kid, without warning, puked all over me.  On my chin and neck.  Down my shirt and underwear.  All over my pants.  We both had to have a bath and I had puke smell in my nose all day long.  I guess he didn't feel well.

Wednesday:  LONG day, but relatively okay.  Church Halloween carnival at night.  No one was sick.

Thursday:  There were some really great things about Thursday (I already wrote about them on my Halloween post).  But there were some bad things too.  Mostly, I lost my mind and yelled and screamed, and threw away things that were driving me crazy and made my baby cry by my craziness and my big boys ran away.  Almost took a xanex.  Made tacos and cooked a frozen pizza for dinner.  No one ate.  The boys trick or treated and the day ended.

Friday:  Early in the morning, around 1:00 am, Elliott started waking up telling us he felt like he was going to throw up.  Two hours later he did, several times.  He greeted the day with diarrhea and I didn't feel so hot myself.  (He and I both ate tacos).  By about 11:30, I'd been sick all morning with the big D myself, and once I got Quinn to sleep, I crawled into bed and left Wyatt in charge.  Ross came home for a couple of hours while I rested.  He had to go back to work, and after tearful pleadings on my part, he called his dad and his dad sat with the boys while I continued to sleep and throw up, and until Ross came home from work.  The night was supposed to be a fun one, but we barely survived.

Saturday:  Our dad left us for Poland.  Some of us still didn't feel well.  It was a good but long day.  But, Quinn woke up FIVE TIMES in the night.  I only slept about 2 hours.  Not the best welcome to Daylight Savings.

Sunday:  The big boys were good and well behaved at church.  The little brother was a menace.  After three hours I thought I was going to voluntarily get hit by a car.  But, we made it to grandma's.  Two boys fell asleep on the way home.  I got some work done on my online class.  Quinn only woke up twice in the night, both times before midnight.

Monday:  This brings us to this morning.  At 6:00 am Quinn woke up.  As I was changing his diaper, I heard the all too familiar cough of Wyatt's coming from the room next door.  If I hadn't have been so tired I would have been thinking clearly and gotten him to the bathroom in time.  Instead, I  finished with Quinn, put him back in his bed and made it to Wyatt just as he finished throwing up in his bed.  Only, it wasn't vomit, it was just his usual bad lung/phlegm ball of death.  He gets them when the air gets bad and his inhaler cannot break up the goo well enough.  He finished up in the bathroom and I got his sheets off the bed just as Elliott bolted out of the darkness of his bedroom.  Into the bathroom.  His face and hands covered in blood.  He wakes up with bloody noses every once in a while and I guess this morning was one of those mornings.

All this happened in 15 minutes.

But, everything (knock on wood) seems okay now.

It cannot get much worse.  Right?  RIGHT?

#starwarsjusticeleagueunite

Not much to say, it was just Halloween.  One of MY least favorite days of the year, but one of my children's favorites.

We paraded.
We made emergency Chewbacca bandoliers.
We frosted sugar cookies.
We coughed and whined.
Mom had the biggest mental breakdown she's had, maybe all year long.  It was a doozy.  I should have sold tickets.  It was a great show!
We trick or treated with our very own GorillaSquatchBacca.
We passed out a lot of candy.

One of us was coughing so bad it was like he was a barking seal by the end of the night.  Wyatt isn't going to school today.

One of us was up all night long throwing up and diarrhea-ing it up.  Elliott isn't going to school today.

One of us is really grump.  Quinn isn't going to school today.

Another one of us has a horrible stomach ache, is drinking a diet coke for breakfast, and is praying to make it through the day.  Annie is nervous that no one is going to school today.

The fifth of our five was up all night with a puker, packed a suitcase for a work trip to Poland, emptied the dishwasher and made his lunch and as usual, feels fine and wonders what's wrong with the rest of us.  Ross is lucky he got to leave the house today.

Anyway, here are the pictures.  Hopefully your Halloween was less eventful.