500...Finally!

Well, the big one is finally here. I'm a little short of my goal, but it's more important to finish (even if it's not the best).

Five hundred posts! I don't think I ever expected to keep up the blogging. It was a slow start. After all, I was a new mommy to baby #4 and my oldest had just started school. Incidentally, going from 3 kids to 4 kids was my hardest adjustment. Adding #5 was hardly a difference. I expect #6 to be the same.

Honestly, if I didn't think some people were enjoying keeping up with our crazy little family, I likely wouldn't continue. I do keep a journal, though that isn't nearly as colorful as my blog. And many of you have been quite encouraging. So I feel like maybe I make a few friends through my blog. I'm a little surprised some of you keep coming back...especially since you don't even know me or my family outside of Blogger. I guess real life does have a bit of comedy in it after all. I'll have to try to notice it more.

It took me 3 1/2 years to blog my way to 500 posts. I don't have any plans to reach 1,000. If I get there, great. If not, it means other things are guiding my life. Hopefully, I'll be able to share most of them and keep the blogging up. I mean, don't we all want to know how Joseph's potty training goes? And Leah starts Kindergarten in the Fall, with Rebekah starting the following year. And of course, we'll want to see the new baby when she starts crawling. But I hope that Joseph starts talking long before any of that. THAT will be a major post!

Now enough sentimentality. Did you want news? It probably does not come as any surprise that Chad's mini van did not win any races at the Pinewood Derby last week. Unless you count coming in last. But it was a winner. It beat out a Rolls Royce for Most Unique. That earned our family a little package of Almond Joys to share. There were some pretty competitive men there that night. We were just there for the fun...lots less stressful. Oh, and the root beer floats. Yummy.

I let Nathan take the pictures, so we've got a lot of pictures that need to be deleted. But it was very difficult to get a picture of the action. ZOOM! Here's a shot of all the cars that were there.

On Saturday, there was a Baby Animal fair. The kids had fun going from baby to baby. Leah touched everything she could get to...including the giant boa(?). It was a little chilly, because we got there early, but we beat the crowds (most important).

We worked in the yard on Saturday. I mowed the lawn. It was the first time this year. What a difference it made! And what a sunburn I had on my arms. (I got a lot of attention for that at church yesterday.) Chad tilled the garden and we planted our small selection of plants. I expect about half will make it. Good old gardening in Eastern Idaho. It froze that night and the next.

Sunday was Mother's Day (as I'm sure you all knew). My kids were not well behaved for the occasion. They made sure I knew I was a mother. I held a short choir practice, despite the holiday. We had a pretty fair turnout. We sing next week - otherwise, I wouldn't be such a task master! But our choir sounds great. It's obvious they are working hard.

Today was my monthly doctor's appointment. We did another sex check on the baby...since the doctor was only 80% sure last month. While he was looking at the screen, he asked me what he'd said it was last time. We both saw something completely different this time. I saw the girl parts before he said anything. (Did you catch my hint a few paragraphs ago?) So I have a beautiful pale blue baby afghan nearly finished. It will be a fun thing to joke about...I guess! He said he'd look in two more months, but I don't see much reason to...it was pretty clear.

And while I was sitting here, ignoring my children's pleas for this and that, Joseph came up to me looking like this! Good thing there aren't any pictures planned.

This is what happens...

When you try to get a picture of Chad with his eyes open. It's very difficult. We have to tell photographers ahead of time that it will be a challenge.

When Rebekah decides it's time to change the toilet paper roll. She's very proud of the fact that she can. And now I have little partial rolls around the house for blowing noses.

When you leave the eggs in Joseph's reach. He learned at Easter time that you can crack eggs. Too bad the chickens won't lay hard-boiled eggs. It would be easier for all of us.

When you take the eggs away from Joseph.

When the big boys decide to have their own Pinewood Derby. Chad created a mini van. We aren't expecting it to win much of anything. We'll let you know how it does at the derby tonight. :)

I KNEW she was smart...but a genius?

We were riding around town this morning. The radio was playing some random song. Leah pipes up from the very back of the van, "Mommy, what does articulate mean?"

I'm thinking to myself, I must have heard her wrong. "Articulate?"

"Yeah, what does it mean?"

OK folks. How many of YOUR 5-year-olds have asked you that one? She's my first. I was trying to remember if the radio had used that word. I was pretty sure it hadn't come up. That's a pretty big word...even for the grown ups. And then I'm wondering what other words should I be prepared for? Onomatopoeia? Lasciviousness? (our Stake President couldn't even pronounce it) Transliteration?

Obviously, she is a genius. There is no other explanation. Then she said she heard it on "Word Girl." Go PBS! Can they teach her how to clean up her socks and respect her parents? Of course, I still believe that she is at least half genius. She hasn't watched TV for the past few days at least! What a memory.

Family Home Evening

Note: This is religious-themed post. If that will offend you or cause you to think that I am preaching to you, QUICKLY exit this page and whatever you do, DO NOT click on the comments link.

A few weeks ago, we had a sacrament meeting specifically focused on Joseph Smith and the Restoration. They concluded the meeting by saying the Stake Presidency had requested each family to have a FHE on the topic within the next few weeks. We finally got around to it this week.

It was Rebekah's turn for the lesson, so she essentially held the pictures while everyone talked around her. There wasn't anything special about the lesson; it was just your standard retelling of the First Vision. Joseph did try playing the piano through much of it. Maybe that's something to really make it stand out.

Anyway, at the end of the lesson, Chad gave each of the kids a paper to draw their version of the First Vision. I promised them I would "put them on the computer." So here we go! I apologize for any hard-to-see shots. The scanner doesn't care what I actually want to do with the pictures.

This is Joseph's. I think this is from that night. I don't see any other pictures that he could have done. It appears that he didn't work completely alone.

Here is Rebekah's picture. She has mentioned (several times) that it is a picture of her (left) and Joseph Smith (right). You can see that she is really good at likening the scriptures to herself, because I'm pretty sure she never actually met him.

Leah worked very hard on hers. Here is Joseph by a tree. One tree equals the entire grove.

Nathan's is very colorful (as usual). And as usual, Nathan didn't actually do the assignment. This is a picture of Joseph retrieving the gold plates. It's still part of the Restoration. Right? ;)

And we end with Daniel's. He is really a pencil man. The strawberry shortcake really cut into his coloring time. You can see he understood what the picture was to represent. Notice that every one of his trees has a single knot or hole on it? :)

Family Home Evenings are looked forward to in this house...by the kids. I admit, I would be relieved to skip some. But they usually do end up with good results and it's a fun, but informal way to teach some of our values and beliefs to the kids. I look forward to the day when they actually do TEACH their own lessons and prove to me that it has all been worth it.

I'll probably be ostracized for saying it.

But I'm saying it anyway. It's my blog, right?

I have a little problem with a current tradition that happens after every High School prom. Perhaps it happens in your ward. I'm talking about wearing your dress or tux to church on the Sunday following the dance.

I can't even remember if this happened in my ward while I was growing up. I can't remember if I participated. Maybe someone from my high school and neighborhood can help me remember. Regardless, I'm sure I wouldn't have had the same opinion then that I do now.

I have two reasons why I don't like this practice.

The first one has to do with the idea that there is a lot of vanity in wearing taffeta and yards of lace to partake of the sacrament and participate in gospel discussions. We can read in Isaiah chapter 3 and 2 Nephi chapter 13 to find out what the Lord thinks of such vanity. I don't know how much we're focused on Christ when we're thinking about how beautiful our clothing is, or reliving the magic of the night before. You get my meaning.

The second reason is that I wonder how it makes the girls and guys who either didn't get invited, couldn't find a date or just didn't have the means to go feel to see everyone parading around. It's harsh enough to sit home that night and think that there is a fabulous party going on without you. But everyone is supposed to be equal at church. That is definitely a place that salt shouldn't be poured into the wound!

And the adults like to compliment the kids on their beautiful clothing. That's understandable because they are beautiful. But who is gushing over the modest, humble clothing of the other kids? Is there any gushing going on during the rest of the year?

I don't judge the families of the kids who do wear their prom clothes to church. I understand it's just a fun tradition and a way to get another opportunity to get your money's worth out of an expensive gown. I just think that Sunday worship services aren't the place for the tradition.

What about a fashion show during mutual night? Then the kids that weren't invited or didn't have a fancy dress could find a dress to borrow for the night. Everyone likes to dress up and feel like royalty - even if it's just a Tuesday night with the girls.

It will be an interesting experience to see how this plays out in our family when the kids are old enough to be attending prom. I certainly hope that they get to go. But even if they do, I don't want them wearing their dresses and tuxes to church the next Sunday. Stay tuned for that one. Daniel will be eligible for prom in 2017.

We went to Thailand

That was once mentioned as a possibility for celebrating our 10th Anniversary (I served my mission in Thailand). I was pretty sure I would either be pregnant or nursing and so not sure how likely it all would be.

Well, as it turns out, I was right. We're also broke, too. So a real trip to Thailand was not even considered. But we got as close as we could.

I had it all planned for a month. We went to a Thai restaurant and stuffed ourselves with DELICIOUS, spicy (couldn't talk) Thai food. Then we checked into the Thailand room at Destinations Inn, a newer themed-suite hotel in the area. Here are some pictures from their website. The room has evolved a bit (like all 4 windows in the last picture are covered up with murals), but this is pretty much what it still looks like.



When we arrived, there was sparkling cider chilling and cheesecake in the fridge. In the morning, they served a simple, but yummy breakfast at your chosen time. There were no kids, the phone didn't ring and we could sleep in as long as we wanted. Unfortunately, we've been programmed to wake before 8. It would take drugs to sleep in any longer than that.

My mom and step-dad came up from Utah and stayed with the kids for the night. The kids had a lot of fun. I'm a little worried about Nathan, though. He didn't realize we hadn't come back later that night - even though he didn't see us until 9:30 that morning. I DID tell him. Next time I'll make sure he looks up from the computer when I'm talking to him.

Thanks to my mom and step-dad for the over-night stay and for the help with the pasture fence and cow herding. The timing couldn't have been better!

On a sad note, the last little kitten died this weekend. I hope the next time this momma cat finds herself with kittens, she'll be more interested in mothering them. If not, I'll get her fixed because these kids don't need extra sadness like that! I'd even gone ahead and let Leah name the poor thing. I'm proud of the way my kids handled it. I don't think I would have been as good about it at their ages.

Who's Counting?

I am! Joseph has one more week in Relief Society before he's legally old enough for Nursery. I have been taking him in there to play for the last 7 weeks or so - just for the Sunday School hour. But I sit in there with him since he's not quite 18 months. I have just about had my fill of getting my hands full of toys that 30 other little kids have been chewing and sucking on. Joseph likes to load me up then walk away.

Sometimes I get to stay in Relief Society if Joseph can find enough to entertain himself. Last week it was a little toy horse that one of the great-grandmas handed to him. He went from woman to woman (and then back again) bouncing that horse on their knees. It was very cute and got us chuckling, but not very kind to the teacher.

Today, I wasn't sure we were going to get to stay as Joseph was pretty cranky. While he wandering around the room getting smiles from the grandmas, one of them pulled out a small ball of blue yarn. Genius! What a great toy!

Joseph found all sorts of things to do with that yarn and before long he looked like he'd escaped from a giant blue spider. He had several feet of yarn, looped several times, trailing behind him and was wrapped in 3 or 4 rounds of string - all the while trying to pick up the ball in front of him by pulling the string, therefore making a bigger tangle. It was very funny. I had tears in my eyes from trying not to laugh. Several of the women were bouncing softly in their seats in silent laughter.

Eventually, I had to untangle him. That meant I had to take the ball of yarn and he wasn't happy about that. While he was writhing in frustration on the floor, another g-ma (the RS Pres.) threw a package of fruit snacks at him. Instant change of attitude! We survived the rest of the hour slowly eating those.

It's a little sad to think we only have one more week of the fun. But also a BIG relief! It's getting harder for me to bend over.

Much Better

Apparently, there were enough phone calls after the last unannounced field trip that the school remembered to include a note this time.

I feel better.

Happy 10th!

It's our 10-year anniversary today!

We were married on the only dry day in a string of rainy ones, in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. The tulips were blooming (my favorite flower).

I felt like an old maid at 25 years old in Mormon-ville. I had dated quite a few people and was despairing that I would ever find one I was willing to change my name for! (I had some "good ones" in High School, but the ones after my mission were not only disappointing, some of them were down-right frightening!)

Chad and I officially met 15 December 1998. Our first date was to Applebee's. It took us long enough though...we had been in the same ward at BYU! That's when my youthful looks worked against me because Chad thought I was only 18 (too young for him) when I was really home from my mission almost a year!

We dated for a few months and were engaged 15 February 1999. Nearly two months later we were moving into our first apartment in Las Vegas and soon the family was growing. Now, 10 years later, we're waiting for baby #6, we're in our 5th home and the future is bright.

I know life isn't perfect, nor the people in it, but I came pretty darn close to it in Chad. He's a hard-working, honest, dependable man. He's an AWESOME daddy. He's a sensitive and "equally-yoked" husband. And he's our Forever.

Happy Anniversary, Chad! (Ten more years from now we can go out without finding a babysitter!) I love you.

MOO!

It's time for the running of the bulls...Eastern Idaho style. Every spring a local farmer runs his herd down our road, headed for the mountains and cool, lush grazing. Every fall he brings them back so he doesn't have to go so far with his load of hay.



It's spring (according to the calendar), so here is the cattle drive. It runs right past our house. It's kind of exciting. And it gets the dog really excited. (Joseph, too!)

Attention!

I just wanted to announce that I folded and (mostly) put away laundry this morning. I did not want to, no one made me do it, but I did it anyway.

Then, when I went to put away the clean wash cloths, I found at least as many other wash cloths strewn around the bathroom counter and floor. So now I'm behind already. Thanks for that.

Lyrics

I can't remember where I was, but I was recently talking about Primary songs with some friends. More specifically, we were talking about how they change the lyrics to the songs so that all of a sudden, we're singing the wrong words that used to be right. Not many people over the age of 35 feel quite right singing "Family History" instead of "Genealogy."

And the topic came up again last week while we were visiting Chad's mom. The topic was the song, "Popcorn Popping." How many of you familiar with this song know that the lyrics say, "It wasn't really so, but it seemed to be" and NOT, "...but it seemed to me?" This song is sung incorrectly in so many wards, branches and family living rooms that it almost seems that they should rewrite the song. I can't remember a time when it really did say 'me.'

So tonight, we were singing the song, "Quickly I'll Obey." (Can you even guess what the lesson was about? And, oh, how badly we're needing this idea to take hold in our family.) The words USED to be, "For Mother(Father) knows just what is best" but they've been changed to "I want to do just what is best." So why the change? Did the leadership decide that the parents are exhibiting behaviors that prove they really DON'T know what is best? Or is it that some parents were using this as license to be extra bossy with their children?

I'm not sure what happened. I'm not sure I don't feel a little rebuked as a parent. The song has taken away some of my confidence to be a good parent. I'm not even sure I can lift up my voice and sing now...I'm a little depressed. (Besides, I'd probably sing the words wrong anyway.)

TaVaci at the zoo...how appropriate

Yesterday was the Saturday after Earth Day. That made it the day to officially celebrate Earth Day in the neighboring city. The weather was nice and I'm sure the entire county turned out. I hate crowds.

Leah and Daniel's TaVaci group performs at the zoo every Earth Day. I guess a lot of the kids look forward to going because they get in free. We have a membership and go whenever the kids can talk me into it. (I think we go a lot, they feel zoo-deprived.) So I wasn't looking forward to fighting 30 people to catch a glimpse of the tiger.

Chad and his dad were working on the fence yesterday and would not be taking time out to enjoy such marvelous entertainment. I couldn't imagine the zoo with 5 kids, two of which would be wearing costumes equalling $100.

So I struck up a deal with the kids. Nathan stayed home to be in the house while Joseph napped, Rebekah went with me (because I couldn't talk her out of it) to watch Leah and Daniel perform. Everyone was of the understanding that we would go there, listen, clap, etc., and then double-time it right back out. Rebekah actually lacked a bit of understanding on that but didn't break down when it was time to go. The reward for their sacrifice would be a trip to the zoo one day after school when the crowds would be gone. We're waiting to see what Thursday is like.

So we got to the BIG city park where the zoo is and all the other Earth Day events were being held - ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING. I circled twice, letting Leah and Daniel off after the first trip. (I was hoping they'd be able to make it in on their own. I'm just the right parent for teaching survival skills to my 8 and 5-year-old!)

I eventually made my way out of the park and found parking in an adjoining parking lot belonging to the 4-H people. That parking was actually a little closer than some of the spaces I couldn't get in the park. And the really bad part? We passed that parking lot on our approach to the zoo. "Something" told me to park there. But, NO, I am smarter than the the "something" and thought I could find something closer. When will I ever learn?

So here are some pictures of the incredibly cute singers. The other kids are nice-looking, too. They did a really good job, considering the llama thing next door tried to share a dust storm with them and the bird on the other side tried to drown them out. Their Spring performance is May 16th. That's a Saturday. It's at 4 pm and it's free. It lasts about an hour. Any who would like to come are welcome.

For those of you following the kitten saga, here is a picture from last Monday when there were still two kittens. (I'm in my pajamas, so please focus on the kittens, not me.) The one partly off the towel is the one surviving baby. It's eyes opened yesterday. It seems to have survived the huge DUMPing of snow we got this morning. Each day I find it still breathing, I have a little more hope for it. I may let Leah be the one to name it, should we get that far, because she's been praying for it the most.

Give me strength

I've been having a fun time with Daniel lately. He's a little smart mouth. He responds to getting in trouble with a grin and some kind of comment that only he thinks is funny. Sometimes he says it under his breath, but loud enough to be heard. The kid is not afraid of the punishments enough.

So today, when I was getting after him for hurting Leah, he didn't seem in the least bit sorry. That was irritating so I warned him that if he didn't start taking it seriously enough, he would be grounded. That must have amused him because he laughed. Inside I was choking the life out of him. Outside, I told him he was grounded and wouldn't be able to help with the fence today. Immediately, that ugly little smile left his face and he stormed up the stairs.

I told him he could earn his freedom back if he wrote me a paper based on the points I provided him - about his rudeness. He didn't seem to get the seriousness of it the first time. This was the first paper I got.


He was smiling as he handed it over. I pointed out to him that he didn't get grounded for what he did to Leah. It was his behavior afterward that convicted him.

I told him to rewrite it. Then he said he couldn't because the paper with the things he was supposed to cover in his paper was ripped up. I rewrote the paper, added one more point, and gave it back to him.

This was the second attempt...not really acceptable, but I figured I'd gotten my point across. I warned him that next time I wanted a WHOLE paper, not one cut off in the middle.

He ended up ripping up the 2nd paper I wrote for him, as well as scattering some laundry, and emptying some of the garbage can onto the floor. I'm still thinking of making him sweep up the flour that resulted, but I don't know if I can bear the trauma just yet.

Was this included in the motherhood contract when I signed up? I hope it was because there would have had to be a happy ending to get me to agree. Or a REALLY big reward.

I hope she likes blue!

I finished crocheting the baby's blessing afghan last week. I noticed my fingers going numb near the end of the project, so I was anxious to get the colored afghan finished before my pregnancy progressed too far. (I make an afghan to use at church while the babies are tiny. Then I pack it away to give to them when they are grown.)

So I was in a bit of dilemma. The baby MAY be a boy, but the doctor wasn't sure enough to get himself into trouble by saying anything definite. I watched the ultrasound video. I sure can see why he would think it could be a boy.

Well, I don't have a lot of patience and finally decided to get a nice, soft blue yarn and get started on that Sunday afghan. I want to get the blanket done before I have too much more numbness in my fingers. (I crocheted TONS of afghans - baby and regular sizes - when I was pregnant with Daniel. The numbness was so bad that I didn't get complete feeling back into my finger tips until months after Daniel was born.) I figured that a very pale blue would still work for a little girl. I mean, really. I LOVE blue. It's not just a boy color!

Then I was at Wal-Mart last night. I have been trying to find a blue flannel that didn't have little pictures all over it - just a calm, simple pattern. I found a gingham type print of dark blue and then chose a navy blue blanket trim. So if this baby ends up really being a girl, I hope she likes blue. If not, it will be a funny story about how she was once 80% boy.

Then again, I bought some pink flannel several months ago that I haven't washed yet. So if I can just hold on until the next ultrasound, and hope for a definite answer, I'll be prepared for either outcome.

I'll post pictures of both afghans when I finish the blue one.

Blind Boy Running

Leah, Rebekah and Joseph were chasing each other around the coffee table. The girls had their blankets.

Suddenly, Leah had a brilliant idea (an impulse, really) to throw her blanket over Joseph's head just as he rounded the end of the table. Unfortunately, Joseph's mind was not mature enough to mentally record the layout of the room and move accordingly once his vision was impaired.

Instead of completing the turn and entering the 'straight-away', Joseph continued a headlong course right into the piano bench. The momentum of the collision forced him backwards, causing him to trip over his own tiny feet. As his ankles twisted around each other, he fell to the side and banged into the bottom of the piano.

There he lay in a writhing heap of legs, blanket and flailing arms as he began his shrieks; a mixture of surprise, anger and injury.

Of course, this was a time that his mother was attempting a telephone conversation and Joseph's deafening screams filled the room as well as the ear of the other person on the phone. (It's believed by mothers of all ages that children's accidents are 75% more likely to happen while the mother is on the phone.)

The effects of the incident were a bloody mouth which was easy clean up with a tissue and a drink of water. There are not expected to be any lasting effects - physical or emotional.

And now both girls have learned that throwing a blanket over Joseph's head while he is running is not a good idea. So, it was an educational experience! I wonder what else we will learn this morning?

Definition of "Stuck"

Rebekah to me: "Mommy, I know what 'stuck' means. It means it's going to flood."

This is from the girl, sitting on the potty at the time, who uses WAY too much toilet paper. She's had experience with 'stuck.'

Thanks for the heads-up, little girl!

Honestly, enough honesty!

I just passed the girls' room where there is a lot of giggling going on and not much sleeping. As I passed, I said, "There sure is a lot of noise coming from in there."

Rebekah's response was, "That's because I'm tickling Leah." No shame, no recognition of the warning in my voice, no thoughts that she might be doing the wrong thing. Just matter-of-fact honesty.

I should have expected it though, after yesterday's comments:

"Mommy, you have a big bum. (pause) Mommy, Daddy's bum is littler than yours."

Thank you to the 3-year-old for stating the cold, hard facts; and with a very serious expression on her face. At least I know I can trust that she didn't have ulterior motives when she told me I smelled good this morning. She was just stating the facts. :)

Update on the kittens. Make that kitten. The 4th one died yesterday and the momma cat disposed of it. I'm really wondering what she's done with these 2 little kitten bodies. I sure don't want to come across them unexpectedly while I'm working in the yard! But the one that is left, though lonely, is looking pretty strong. She's leaving it alone a lot, but she is jumping in there and feeding and bathing it. Maybe she's a one-baby momma. At least this one can cry out and tell her to get up when she's sitting on it!

Sweden mystery solved!

Thanks for checking in, Laura! I do remember the regular visits from the Ukraine, too. I never even thought it could be you since you are such a silent lurker. Not even a hiccough from you!

It's funny that since trying to figure it all out, there have been two new Swedish ISPs that have started visiting. It's a strange world we live in. Things just happen in waves, don't they?

Any other countries want to jump into the game?

Kittens! (minus one, minus one, minus one...)

We had 3 pregnant cats. THREE! That's too many, considering we already had 6 furry felines. So I listed them in the Craigslist farm and garden category. Someone adopted two of the pregnant mommas on Sunday.

The other momma had already had her kittens by then, so she was staying. This momma is all black. The daddy is all black. And so the kittens? Take a look.

Yes, all black (except for two which had some white marks). I at first counted 4. Then on Sunday when I came home from church, I saw one of the "white" ones had died and removed it. Upon closer inspection, I saw a black one was dead. It came out. When I looked back it, there were still 3! So we had 4, then 3, then 4, then 3 again.

We were out of town yesterday. When we got back in the morning, the other "white" one was missing. It was the smallest of the remaining kittens and I'm guessing, when it died, the momma finally figured out to get the little body out of there. So now we have 2. (We're right back to our original 6!)

Now, this momma is young. She's only 12 months old. She doesn't seem to get the whole parenting idea. I think she may have suffocated one or two because she just sits right on them. And she'll go off for the longest time and leave those little ones alone. It's still getting cool here in Eastern Idaho.

So last night, we tried to let her bring them in. I found out where she wanted to go with them, and cut a box to fit. She stayed in it for half the night; I had to search for two little tiny black kittens this morning. I fed the poor creatures an emergency kitten formula, returned them to the box and set them outside for the momma. She'll need to find a new place for them. I know I'm sentencing these two guys to death, but I have enough to do inside. I can't be concerned about which corner two kittens are loose in.

Momma cat has tried to come in with her babies several times this morning. If I thought she'd leave them in the box, I'd let her stay. If I had a teenage daughter that wanted to care for them, it might be OK. So all the kids got to say hello-goodbye to the kittens this morning. I told them they probably wouldn't get to grow up. Those poor kitties sure have had a rough start!

And the daddy? He's at the vet this morning. No more kittens from him!

Smelly Pirates

Before I share my little story, I just wanted to say "thanks" to all you have posted and said nice things about me or the blog. I wasn't fishing for compliments with my probe into Sweden, but it has been nice for the soul to get them anyway. Incidentally, I haven't heard from that person yet. Wouldn't you know it? They haven't stopped by the blog since the early morning hours of the day I made that post. Does Murphy's Law reach Scandinavia?

Now, about the pirates. We were listening to the radio in the van on Monday morning and the news about the US captain being freed from the pirates was getting big coverage. Suddenly, Leah pipes up from the back: "Smelly pirates?" I had to respond very slowly, "Sah-mah-lee." She giggled, "Oh."

And other news-worthy information for you: I mopped the floor today. Then I had to rest and let the sweat dry.

Envy

I just took 4 bruised and withered apples out to the chickens. As I walked to the coop, all 12 birds came running and met me at the door. The first apple I threw in had all the chickens running after it. I got to do a little chicken bowling with the next 3 apples.

After all 4 apples were in and available, I noticed 11 birds fighting over one apple. The 12th hen was either too smart or just clueless, but she had her own fruit. I looked at the bustle of chickens trying to get to the single apple and thought (for probably the thousandth time), "Dumb birds."

They were all so worried about missing out on what the others had that they didn't even bother with the two apples that were sitting untouched. I know they knew they were there because some of them had pecked at them but eventually couldn't resist the frenzy over the coveted prize.

Then I got a little philosophical. I wonder how many times we can't appreciate our abundance when all we can worry about is what someone else has? I see it so many times in my kids. And I feel it when I walk unexpectedly into a clean house. They didn't know I was coming, so I know they didn't get a chance to clean up first. Why is their house cleaner than mine? (Not a hard thing to do, really.)

I proudly consider myself smarter than a chicken. I hope I act like it.

Please stand and give a little wave.

I am a numbers girl. I like to see when the odometer on the car turns to a cool number (i.e. 14,141 - or - 20,000; I'll never forget the day my little Honda Accord hit 200,000...I can almost tell you which telephone pole on Canal Rd I was passing). I like to catch the clock when it says 5:55 or 12:34.

Some or most of you may know that I have a little meter on my blog. I like to see who and when visits. This is how I know that I have 3 faithful readers. :) I know there are a few more than that. It's just a general idea though because the locations I get are generally cities that have more than one family member or friend living in them. So sometimes I just guess who's been on recently. And then there are the random ones from foreign countries that only show up once. They have usually found my blog through an online search for something. (*kunk *ait is STILL a very active search.)

Sometimes there is a reference as to where the reader was linked from. And some of those have such weird locations that I think there must be something funky about the ISP's connections.

But there is one of you that has been fairly regular and I don't know who you are. I'm not worried about a stranger reading my blog. I like to meet new people occasionally. The person I'm talking about is bouncing in from Sweden. I would love to know who you are! I'm wondering if you really are in Sweden or if it's all just being routed that way. (For a long time, my ISP said I was in VA, but at least that's still in the country.)

I do have an interest in Sweden. I have a lot of genealogy work that brings me back to my Swedish roots. My maiden name is a Swedish name. So if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to know more about this Swedish ISP! Leave a comment or email me at collett73 (at) gmail (dot) com.

And don't let this keep the rest of you from stalking me. I already know you are visiting and not leaving comments. :)

Our Easter Events

Easter is at least a 3 day event for us. This year we started with egg coloring on Thursday night. Rebekah couldn't remember coloring eggs last year, so it was all new and exciting for her. Everyone got into the fun and before we knew it, all 35 eggs were colored.


Leah likes to combine her holidays. She's got her Halloween shirt on here.













Joseph is coloring his only egg here. He did try for the easier way to get that egg out. Yes, his hand was orange.













Nathan used the most concentration decorating his eggs.













Daniel probably used the least. He did end up with a green thumb...that should help in the garden next month.

Rebekah was surprisingly deft with the little wire. She really only cracked one egg and it was the first time she picked one up.














This picture says it all. They had messy hands for a few days.

Our egg hunt was on Saturday. Here are the baskets all ready for the kids. You can see some of the "hidden" eggs on the back of the couch.














The butterfly nets were a big hit. They were only $1.25 at the grocery store. Best news? We haven't broken one yet!

The bubbles were pretty exciting, too. Look closely and you'll be able to see some. Poor Joseph was wistfully watching the fun. Like our vibrant-green grass? Spring is reluctantly coming to our corner of the world.

The best part of the day was the actual egg hunt! With 35 real eggs and at least that many candy-filled plastic ones, everyone had plenty of chances to find an egg.

It looks like Nathan is sliding into home to get this egg.













Daniel helped Joseph find some eggs. Actually, Joseph didn't have any trouble finding the eggs, he just didn't know what to do with them next.













And here is our Easter dress picture right before church. This is one of the reasons we made it to our bench just as the meeting was getting started. You'll notice Leah's pleasant expression. She doesn't like wearing tights. (Actually, she doesn't like wearing much of any of her clothes, but that's a different post all of its own.) You may notice that Daniel doesn't have shoes on. He still doesn't know where they are. The boys have matching ties, excluding Joseph.

And that's our Easter story in pictures. On Sunday, we had a ham dinner. Chad made it and it was very yummy. Next we had FHE on the Easter story - complete with 12 plastic eggs, each filled with a scripture and something to do with the story. We watched "The Lamb of God" and then ate a bunny cake I'd picked up at the store.

Everything is now put away and there is only a handful of that blasted plastic grass floating around the house. I really like holidays, but I'm so thankful when they're over. The kids really like holidays, too. They just wish they'd last more than one day. (Rebekah was convinced that today was Easter, too.)

And here's a little proof that the Easter Bunny really did come to our house!

80%

We had our 2nd ultrasound this morning. My bladder was near bursting and they called me back half an hour late. I love doctors' offices.

The baby seems to be healthy and was moving about during the ultrasound. Unfortunately, it wasn't moving around enough to give us a really clear view, so the doctor wasn't exactly sure what he could see.

He's 80% sure it's a boy. He'll look again in 4 weeks. Until then, we need to get some boy names rolling around in our heads. I have a girl name all ready.

I hadn't really had any impressions either way what this one was. I would like a girl to even out the numbers in the family, but I've been wondering how Joseph would feel being surrounded by girls. So either way, we'll just be glad for a healthy baby.

So this story has a sequel. Until next time...

I was tagged

My sister tagged me last week. I'm supposed to find the 6th file in my photo file and upload the 6th picture. Then I'm supposed to blog about it. I'm also supposed to tag six friends, but I'll leave that open to you if you want to do it.

I have 3 different places to go to find photos, so I went to the oldest one.

Here we have Leah at nearly 3 months. She's freshly diapered, just out of the tub. Notice the very stylish diaper. It was Wal-Mart brand - Susie's Zoo, probably size 2. She wasn't talking back yet and didn't care what her clothes looked or felt like. She was such a sweet little thing, but I really should have paid attention to that look in her eyes. It was a warning of what was to come.


I think that may be a gang sign she's making, but I don't know much about such things and so I can't really say.

Missed my mark

I had a goal to reach my 500th post by 20 March of this year. Well, a few things slowed me down and I am a little short of the mark. This is post 474. I'm 26 posts and 3 weeks behind.

I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself. My kids have had birthday cakes, we've celebrated major and minor holidays, I've sewn a few things, we've taken a few trips and I'm 19 weeks pregnant. It's not like I've been sitting around doing nothing!

But that 500th post shouldn't be too far into the future.

Does it show?

I ran to the grocery store this evening to pick up a few things for dinner and the weekend. The checker ringing up my groceries mentioned that I looked tired.

Could it be the careless pony tail? The complete lack of make-up? The limp bangs that are only slightly curved by 5PM? Or maybe it was the fact that I was holding my head up on the counter. It can't be because I really do look tired. Have I lost my ability to fake it?

Rocks in my washer

When I pictured motherhood, I absolutely did not think of rocks. I knew it involved nasty diapers, nasty tempers and nasty midnight sickness. I expected to be sleep-deprived (and have not been disappointed there!), and to have the emotional ups and downs that come with watching your children experience life. But someone forgot to tell me about the rocks.

Most of my laundry is stone washed - in my automatic washing machine. I can never seem to find the end of the little tiny rocks and pebbles that make their way to the bottom of the wash tub. It started with Daniel. Curse those pockets and rolled up pant legs! Before too long, Nathan joined in the collecting. Now both girls have discovered the hobby and with summer just around the corner, I expect Joseph to make his own contributions.

I can hear the little 'tinks' and 'plings' as the rocks fall out of my reach while I change the washer load to the dryer. I try so hard to get them all, but I often hear the same sounds when I'm taking out the load of my underwear. I know they aren't coming from me!

And if it were only limited to little tiny rocks, it might not be so bad. Candy wrappers, pencil erasers, very clean cereal bits, screws, bolts, small pets (OK...that one isn't true), are common finds in my washer. It's almost a hazardous job to do laundry! My machine is over 15 years old. I don't know if it can take much more abuse.

So let this be a warning to all of you who have yet to enter motherhood. You will have rocks in your washer. And a lot of really great memories, besides.

New Header...just in time!

I finally got the green off and the spring colors on. Just in time for Easter, too! I got the girls' Easter dresses completed yesterday and we colored eggs last night. It looks like we're ready. (I'll share some pictures soon.)

WhirlWindy Spring Break

It's our spring break this week. Spring break in Idaho has nothing to do with Spring since it's still snowing, but the kids get out of school for a whole week and so we took a little trip.

We went to Utah. Normally, when we go to Utah, it's to visit family. This time we did visit family, but only because we were there. We really went so that Chad could buy some barbed wire he wants to use on the pasture fence. Even with the gas we saved money. Although, if you factor in the museums we went to, it may have not been such a great bargain.

We left on Tuesday, late morning. We visited Ogden Union Station where you get to see trains, a collection of Browning guns and some old cars (think Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). The train part was good. The guns were boring as they were all in cases that you walked around and looked at. The cars were pretty interesting, but there were only about 10 of them and it was only cars...no hands-on stuff, etc. But it only cost our family $12 to get in, and the train museum was worth that much.

After the museum, we grabbed some burgers from Carl's Jr. and visited with my mom and step-dad for a while in South Weber. The kids had fun playing in G-ma's toys. Then we piled everyone back into the van and drove to my sister's house in West Jordan - our final destination.

We visited a bit, had dinner and put the kids to bed really late. Joseph didn't like the change in routine and Leah kept waking up during the night in fits. It was a rocky night. And if I think it was bad, think how Chad felt about it - he was the one that got up each time!

On Wednesday, we awoke to lots of white and more of it coming. I figured it was a heavenly April Fool's joke. I played a small joke on the kids. (It's hard to really get a good prank going when you're not home.) I gave them chocolate milk in their cereal. Pretty lame, I know, but it was all I could come up with! And if you think that's gross, you should know they all asked for seconds. I did stick to simple rice cereals so it wouldn't be too bad.

After breakfast, we trudged through the snow to the van and drove to Thanksgiving Point to go to the Museum of Ancient Life. We spent nearly 4 hours here! The kids were impressed the moment we walked in the door. That was the free part. We bought admission tickets as well as tickets for one of the 3-D movies they show there. That was the $78 part. There were tons of things to read (I hardly read a thing) and lots of things to do. The kids ran all over that place. We took time out halfway through to grab some lunch at their little cafe there. The food wasn't too bad, but if you ever go and decide to order a kids' meal, don't opt for the mini corn dogs or dino nuggets. It's not much food. The hot dog and grilled cheese were decent sizes.

From lunch we went to the movie. It was called "Wild Ocean." That's the first REALLY 3-D movie I've been in. I was glad I hadn't gone about 6 weeks ago as I'm sure the "motion" would have been a little too much for me. Leah had a 4-D experience as she was certain she could smell fish. After a while, she and then Rebekah were no longer wearing their glasses. And I ended up with a headache, but it was a good movie. (Don't judge it by the wimpy Colletts.)

By the time we limped out to the van, we had just enough energy to drive back to my sister's house. Chad and I were both falling asleep on the couches!

We got the kids to bed a little earlier that night (OK, it was last night) and Leah actually slept through the night! I was shocked. Joseph did better, too. Rebekah had a near catastrophe when she lost her blanket in the middle of the night. But Super Daddy was there to rescue her.

This morning we packed up, said good-bye to those still at home and drove to visit Chad's two sisters. We gave them about 1 1/2 hours notice, so they had fun frantically cleaning their house. I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that. The kids dug into the toys there (all for a toddler, but we are apparently not picky) and we had a tour of their "new" home.

Our next stop was IHOP for lunch with my dad. The kids were pretty well behaved while we were there. Joseph is excluded from that category. Leah nearly perished waiting for her food, but survived without losing any serious weight.

With our tummies full, we drove to the Hill Aerospace Museum. This was a free museum. They accepted donations. I was already to give one, and then felt the sting of the trip and decided to be stingy. I did feel a little guilty when I was taking a drink of water. Oh well. There were LOTS of planes to walk around and see. And that was the problem. Walking. I was about done in from museums and lack of sleep and traveling. I sent the kids in to a hands-on area with Chad and sought out a bench. The bench didn't have a back, so I wrapped my legs around the stroller, piled up the diaper bag and coats and slumped over into it. I even almost fell asleep. At one point, I heard a family walking by and a little voice asking, "Is that a real person, Mommy?" Her mother whispered her a "yes" and hurried by. Don't mind me, I'm just a bum sleeping on the bench here! Eventually, a volunteer approached me just to make sure I was OK. Yes, I'm fine. Just a pregnant, sleep-deprived, mother of 5 who is tired of traveling!

So we jumped into the van eventually and drove straight home. We arrived about 5:45 this evening. Dinner was about 6:05, baths for the girls and Joseph at 6:30 and kids to bed at 7. The boys fell asleep by 7:30, but those stinker girls always play around for about 45 minutes. I don't know how they feel, but I'm looking forward to a good sleep tonight!

And that was our spring break. The wind blew, the snow/rain fell and tempers flared. But we weathered the storms and had a good time. Unfortunately, the camera stayed home, so we'll all have to rely on our personal memories.

And don't forget that important barbed wire! It arrived safely. :)

Farm Girl

We were listening to a kids' CD of music today while we rode in the car. One of the songs had some lyrics that went..."Scat like that. Have you ever seen a jazzy cat like that?" It's a catchy, jazzy tune and Leah had it stuck in her head. She just changed the wording a tiny bit.

"Scat like that. Have you ever seen a JERSEY cat like that?"

You can see that we don't have Holstein steers! :)

Joseph's crouched and waiting!

We sing a song before family prayer each night. It seems we sing "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam" more than should be allowed. And of course, the kids like to jump up on each "beam" in the song. So Joseph has figured it out and likes to jump in (pun intended). Unfortunately, he can't tell any of the songs apart.

So he was crouched and ready to spring tonight. Too bad Daddy picked, "Joseph Smith's First Prayer." Way cute.

A good online Outlet!

I already shared this with my sister and thought more of you might be interested.

Do you like getting fun stuff for your kids super cheap? I have a website you might enjoy. It's mostly educational tools and gadgets, but check it out to see if there is something you like. And I'm not even doing it justice. Just go look.

http://www.etacuisenaire.com/outlet_store.jsp

Go to the Over 50% OFF section and look for the beginner's microscope. Then get the slides and covers to use with it.

There is a butterfly garden in the 35-50% OFF section.

And the shipping is reasonable! Have fun. Let me know if you find anything exciting!

Question for the parents of school students

The boys went on a little field trip yesterday to the high school to watch a play. I guess the whole school went, possibly excepting the kindergarten. They had a fab time, of course. I first heard about the trip when Nathan mentioned it during his prayer before they left for school yesterday.

So my question is: Does your school take the kids off campus without first informing the parents?

I'm wondering if this is a new trend. I can remember having a permission slip for EVERY trip when I was in school.

ISO

In Search Of:

I googled myself today, using my maiden name. I got almost 6 pages of results and not a single one of them was actually me! It's like my past life has been erased. Anyone from pre-1999 will have a hard time finding me if they haven't kept contact with me or a family member. Just when you think you might have made an impact in the world!

On the other hand, I googled my current name and got 2 pages of results. They were all me! I think I'm really one of a kind! (No cracks, please.) There are even birth notices in the Las Vegas newspaper for the boys. That seems eons ago.

Before any of you leave a comment telling me about Facebook or any of it's cousins, I just say that I already know about these websites and have not joined on purpose. My blog is about as far out into the world of silent stalkers I'm ready to go right now. Well, and I also have a part in my mission web page, but those are silent stalkers I'm a little more comfortable with.

And if any of you are wondering how I have time to sit and mindlessly search for myself online, it's because I recently took a shower and am resting to regain some energy to take the kids to Wal-Mart. That's an adventure for a healthy person and a form of torture for a nauseated one!

Feeling Better ?

True. I have been feeling better. WHY, then, haven't I been blogging? Unfortunately, I haven't felt completely better.

The difference now is that I don't sleep from breakfast until lunch. I stay awake, reading and meandering from one room to the other. I don't move too much. I, therefore, don't clean. But the house is a little better than before because I'm awake to tell the kids to stay out of trouble (or put their trouble away when they're done with it).

The benefit from this is that Joseph is developing his large motor skills at a much faster rate in a messy house than he would in an orderly house. Just getting through the library is a test of agility. And yesterday when he fell off the chair, he got stuck and did his first head stand!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (This is Joseph's version of the accident.)

So, I've been wanting to get back to the blog, but I'm still having a hard time sitting at the computer very long. I'll try to do better, because there are so many things to share!

P.S. Does anyone have a rice cooker they don't use? Mine died.

GREEN!

I completely missed February and the hearts, etc. But I won't let you down for March!

My scrapbooking program was in total shock when I opened it up this morning.

First Word?

Joseph will be 16 months on Friday and we've yet to hear him utter his first word. It's not that he doesn't make himself understood, but it's not with anything you'd be able to find in the dictionary.

But I think we may have our first word! True, we need to lower our standards just a little but I think it's close enough. When Joseph goes to do something he's been told to do, he says the /k/ sound. I believe this is his version of OK. So, his first word is a positive and agreeable one! None of my kids have said, "No" before 18 months. They just save it up for later and then abuse it.

Joseph's First Haircut

I'm going to try to back-up and let you know of some of the things that have happened since I fell off the blogging chair.

Joseph got his first haircut on 3 Jan. It was getting a little shaggy, though some people may not have noticed. When you have thin, blond hair you just look bald.

Here are his before pictures. You can see that his face needs a little scrubbing. That just makes him seem more like a Collett. All the kids in this family take turns looking like that. They have really lazy parents.


Here is an aerial image. See? It really was long!

Here is the after photo. I used the 3/8" guard on the clippers and buzzed his head. Doesn't he look so cute? :)


And now that it's been 2 months, he's in need of another buzzing. (But remember, he has lazy parents.)

Hopeful

The past two days have been surprising; I've had good mornings!

Yesterday, I got through some of the piles in my room that have been growing and weighing on my mind. Today I cleaned up the library and girls' room. I even pulled out the vacuum. I know, it's a shocker.

Now, my hands are shaking and I'm having a hard time typing. But I'm alive and being productive.

One of the reasons I worked so hard this morning is that we've had a library book missing for a few weeks. I hate to lose things that aren't mine. I've looked everywhere for that dumb book, including behind 4 different dressers, in and under beds and in cupboards. I even went through our books one by one. I checked my checked-out books online this morning. Suddenly, the book isn't on my list anymore! It's even listed as checked in! ARGH!

This is not the first time I've been on the hook for a book I'd already returned. This time though it wasn't in the system. I'm wondering if someone else "checked it out" and recently returned it. I can't image it floating around the library for this long. Whatever the reason, I'm glad it's turned up.

It would have been nice to not have to search the nasty boys' room for it when I felt so nasty myself.

In case you're wondering, I'm 13 weeks now. I will start my second trimester on Saturday.

FAT

No, I'm not complaining about my ever-widening waistline. Although, I can understand how you would make that mistake. I've calculated that I won't be able to seriously diet and shed noticeable pounds until after the baby is weaned. I'll be 37. Ugh.

The Fat I am referring to is the stuff that makes food taste good. I learned something interesting when I was pregnant with Leah; I can't eat low fat foods when I'm pregnant. That year I was in the middle of an eDiets crusade and doing quite well. Suddenly, the Lean Cuisine lunches that I had been enjoying for lunch nearly every day became stuck in my throat and I had to stop eating them.

So lately, I've been eating a lot of fatty foods. Just what I need. I wasn't able to shed any of the pregnancy pounds from Joseph, so I'm already in trouble. It's gotten so bad that I had to have Chad buy my a bottle of regular mayo because the light stuff tastes so nasty. It's burritos, ramen noodles and lots of gooey, fat-filled mayo for me! Bring on the Big Macs and fried chicken( just don't cook it around me). Put the heart-healthy stuff away for now. I'll let you know when I'm ready.

Just Checking In

I'm still here. Just thought I'd say a quick hello. We live in an awesome ward. We have people bringing in dinners occasionally...some of them spontaneously. I've read 6 books since Saturday. Until further notice, please address all correspondence, c/o The Couch.

First Look

We got a peek at the baby yesterday. And I am happy to announce that there is only one! It's strange to think that something so tiny (it's all of 3.83 cm from crown to rump) can make me so sick! I thought I was a lot tougher than that. :(

For the ADSR, I created this LO. My one burning question for the moment.


Daniel has a burning question, too. He keeps asking me if the baby is kicking yet.

Pregnancy Curse

I haven't blogged much because I haven't felt like doing anything but sleeping on the couch. I did make it to the doctor last week, and he gave me a prescription for Zofran. It seems to work OK if I take a whole tablet (I could take a 1/2 but it doesn't seem to do anything for me). If I take 2 tablets during the day and a unisom/B6 combo at night, I feel less likely to run to the bathroom. Also, staying still and not talking too much, seems to help a great deal. Chad has been pulling double duty as father and mother. I am so grateful to him.

Another reason I haven't blogged much is because I don't want to irritate everyone with a bunch of "poor me's" and "I have it so bad's." Truthfully, I don't think it should matter what I write, since it's my blog and I don't have to answer to anyone about what I put in it (as long as it isn't illegal or immoral). However, I am not so naive as to think that I have that kind of autonomy.

All this got me thinking of the pregnancy curse. EVERYONE has an opinion about you and your pregnancy (of lack of). When I first got married, it seemed that whether I was pregnant yet or not was at the top of the chatter. It only took us 4 months to get pregnant with Daniel. It felt like we were slacking for even taking that long!

When I got pregnant with Joseph, I heard very loud stretches of silence before the question, "Another one?" And that wasn't from Chad who was working so hard to pay for it all.

With this pregnancy, I've tried not to make a big deal out of it. We'd planned for this one. It's the last one. The kids have been talking about the "new baby" since before Joseph could sit alone. I don't call my family and drone on and on about how bad I feel or how the economy is making it hard to afford anything.

Even so, it's amazing how a short, quiet announcement of a pregnancy starts people talking. Apparently, I'm not supposed to say anything negative about being pregnant because there are others who would really love to be pregnant and can't, so their feelings trump mine. OR, there are people who can't understand people who complain about morning sickness, because they've "been there, done that" and know it's not such a big deal. We apparently are all designed exactly the same and have the same experiences...so we know who the hypochondriacs are! And then there are those who know all about morning sickness because they get sick from the moment of conception until the day of delivery. You can't possibly be as sick as they were! (Yet, I've seen these people during different stages of their pregnancy...a little heartburn or upset stomach isn't quite the same as stomach in your throat, too sick to talk.)

I think I get moderately sick during pregnancy. I have 20-ish really yucky weeks, and then everything is GREAT. Those last few weeks are torture for everyone, I assume. I don't have to be admitted to the hospital, I don't miss weeks of church and I'm usually able to keep my head out of the toilet most of the time. I do wonder how in the world there are so many people on this planet when it feels so bad to be pregnant. Yay to those who don't get really sick...they are helping keep the earth populated!

And it doesn't just stop at morning sickness. Some people don't like kids. Some people don't like certain people to have kids. Some people don't like to see others having more kids than themselves. Honestly, sometimes I am "some people." But these are personal choices! To be made by the persons responsible. We have made no one responsible for our choices, but us. When we move into your house, start eating your food, making you watch our kids and use your money to support them, then you get to say something. When our kids are socially and emotionally dysfunctional and start affecting your family in some negative way, then you get to say something.

But right now, you don't get to say anything. And if it's such a bit deal for you, we won't make you come for a visit.

Now, this is just a general declaration. I'm addressing the world, but you know if you are the "you" I am talking to. I just had some feelings that were building up. Chalk it up to hormones.