I can't hold it in anymore! (a rant on dogs)

Ok, so I have written this post in my head many times, then changed my mind before actually typing it out. But Saturday was the last straw. Please forgive me if this offends you. I am speaking of no one's dog in particular - it's more of a general dislike towards the entire species. I understand that dogs are "man's best friend", a great companion, heros at times, these days they seem elevated to the position of a child, but let me just get my feelings off my chest.
I never had a dog growing up, I don't even remember ever wanting one. We had a cat (which my brother wanted) and I never really even learned how to hold her. I wanted a rabbit and got Opie one Christmas. The first day was good, he peed on my bed but otherwise we were getting along great. I put him in his cage in the backyard and from that point on our relationship consisted of me putting food in his cage and trying not to get bitten. We had a couple cats but I can honestly say I never bonded with them. After Steven and I got married we would run together in our old neighborhood. Several times dogs would bark and sometimes approach us and Steven would continually try to teach me to be calm, not look the dog in the eye, etc, but I failed miserably. The dog can always tell I'm afraid and that does not invoke compassion - only more aggression it seems.
Sadie is not like me, she loves dogs and has always asked for one. Steven really thought I would change my mind but he's known me long enough to realize I can't even warm up to the nice dogs. Don't get me wrong - I am dismayed to hear about animal cruelty, I wish no dog harm (unless he's the one barking and growling at me or has harmed a child), they just don't do anything for me. And hear's my main complaint. I have many times now been innocently jogging or walking down the street when a unleashed dog will take off running and barking at me like I'm a criminal. Oftentimes, thankfully, the owner is near and immediately begins yelling at the dog to come back. Guess what? They never do. Seriously, I have never had a dog obey in that situation. I know, I know, my kids don't always listen, I'm ok with the disobedience. What irritates me the most is when the owner tries to reassure my terrified self that "he's nice", "he's never bitten" or my all time favorite "he wouldn't eat butter off a hot biscuit!" I'm sorry, people, that may all be true but when an animal that is kin to a WOLF is charging at me and growling, showing his teeth, your words are not reassuring. What I would prefer is for you to actually catch your animal and hold onto them while I jog past and smile at you on the public street. Is that too much to ask? I know dogs serve a very important purpose in most people's lives, I just had to share the other side of the story. Check back in 10 years, my kids might eventually wear me down and I'll get all attached and blind to my own little wild puppy. In the meantime I'll be jogging down a different street.:)

Field trips, soccer, and Mother's Day

After my last post I sent Sadie back to school, my little two to Bible Study with Grandma, and Eli and I headed out to the butterfly farm together with his class. To make it even more special I swung by McDonalds on the way there for some pancakes, Eli is such a picky eater but he can flat out inhale some hotcakes. 

Not many more field trips left with this little guy. He told me today that everyone else cheered when they talked about going to a new school next year, everyone but him and Morris (his cousin and best buddy). I have never liked change, either, so it looks like my little homebody might be the same. Or he just realizes that preschool is a pretty sweet place, it pretty much goes downhill from there, right?

Speaking of a good life, this little girl in the middle here thinks she can run with the rest of them. She absolutely adores her cousins, and they're really good to her, too. Number 5 isn't in the picture but he, Sadie, Bennett and Morris are all playing on a soccer team together. Steven and his daddy are coaching, it is a true family affair. 3 of them have goals already so it's been an exciting season! Back to my little redhead, she is really coming into her own, she might be my fiestiest one (how is that possible??). She can throw a serious tantrum and she's only 15 months old!! She is starting to say a few words though and we are loving her little antics. 

Last weekend was 

Mothers Day and it was a sweet time.   Sadie brought home a folder with things she had written about me all week, my favorite was a story called "Supermom" where I came in and killed a fox. Eli made me something, too, that he was so happy to bring me. Four little blessings, they are. They do drive me crazy, tonight I lost it when I had to clean out underpants, again, I do not understand how you do it my cloth-diapering friends. I feel like we will never get there with D, he does well with the first order of business (not the second!) but it's gotten to where I realize he's missing, start yelling and running towards his voice, only to find I'm a minute too late. Poor guy, he's probably traumatized by my ungodly response this evening and will take days to be brave enough to go again. It's been almost 7 years of diapers, several of those years with 2 in diapers. But I'm not complaining (well maybe just a little), these diaper days are sweet. Stinky at times, but worth every minute!

Sadie's Bike Accident

So my last post I talked about our mundane life...and well I guess I spoke too soon and it was our turn for a little excitement. Last week we had a mini Spring Break so the kids and I headed to Charlotte after a fun lake sleepover with Daddy. We had enjoyed our afternoon and were visiting with a sweet friend and her two little boys. Eli has just learned to ride a bike without training wheels so he and Sadie now have to share the bike at my parent's house. So big girl Sadie convinces us she can ride my old, adult size bike, and actually did really well on it. She would pedal without sitting on the seat, even showed us she knew how to use hand brakes. A little while later she came flying toward the back steps and ran into them, as the bike stopped she lurched forward. I witnessed that part and thought to myself "Wow she might have some whiplash from that" but immediately knew it was more serious than that - as she jumped off the bike the blood just poured out of her mouth and nose. I'm in the medical field and thought I was fairly calm but that much blood coming out of my daughter's face just about put me over the edge. Mom and I took Sadie and the baby and drove downtown to the pediatric ER (good call by a family friend!), they saw us quickly and were so great with her.  

 Sadie shed some tears, of course, but was really a trooper through it all. Here she is covering her eyes with the bright light so the doctors could examine her nose. The first two doctors told us they could handle it right there in the ER, but I didn't have a good feeling about it. Thankfully the attending came in and took it out of my hands by saying it was out of his scope and he was going to call the plastic surgeon. We had to wait a little while longer so Mama took the baby home and helped my Dad get everyone down, then came back to sit with me during the surgery. They gave Sadie some Versed when they thought they were going to stitch her up in the ER and it was pretty funny to see her loopy. She got a little confused when they started her IV - the sweet child life specialist tried to explain it like it was a "straw for her vein" ...so a little while later Sadie was trying to drink from her IV. 

I was never so happy to see this little face as I was after surgery! I'm glad she didn't have to go through it awake but having to kiss your tearful child goodbye is stressful, too. She (and I) both calmed with a quick prayer and I was taken to a nice waiting room where Mom found me a few minutes later. The surgeon came in about 45 minutes later (also a face I was elated to see!) and said that the tissue was cut all the way to the nasal bone, but it should heal well. I thought she would never wake up in the recovery room, but a little ice cream later we were finally on our way back to my parent's house. 

Thankfully the rest of our break was uneventful. Mom had planned a sweet Easter egg hunt the following day and Sadie seemed up for it so we didn't cancel. She was excited to see her friends, although a little self-conscious since her face was really starting to swell. She didn't want me taking pictures but I managed to snap this one while she was reading with my Dad. Steven got in that afternoon and we had a fun night out with my parents. We were supposed to go to a baseball game but it got rained out so we went bowling instead. Bowling with our crew is pretty funny - they roll it down about 2 miles an hour, you wait and wait for it to get to the pins, maybe 1 or 2 gets knocked down, and the kid cheers like they won the lottery. It's a sweet life. 

I got a Build a Bear gift card at Christmas time at a work party and have been waiting for the right time to take one of the kids. Sadie is the one that would love it the most, anyways, so we decided this was her "I was brave" treat. I kept her out of school yesterday (and today) and let her pick out a bear and a couple outfits. Thankfully she was cool with stuff on "sale", that place is like another world and SO expensive!! Sparkley has joined our family now and will always remind us of Sadie's accident. This could all change tomorrow but I really feel like she grew up a little through this. I guess that's what life experiences, especially the painful ones, do for us. Steven's sweet Daddy drove down the morning after the accident to check on his grandbaby, and while he was there Sadie told him and my Dad that "if I had died that would be ok, because I know the Lord" That is the kind of thing that makes me lose it after the adrenaline dies down, however, the dam actually broke at church a couple days later when Sadie was standing on the pew between Mom and I, her sweet little face still so swollen and bruised, holding the hymn book and singing "Christ the Lord is risen today". A blessed Easter Sunday I will never forget - not just that my baby is going to be ok and that she is showing some sweet little signs of faith, but that the object of our faith is alive and "forever living to intercede for us". Hallelujah!

Spring is finally here!

 I am sitting in our unusually quiet house while Steven studies for tomorrow, and it seems like a good time to catch up on my blogging. We just got back from a wonderful anniversary dinner to our favorite fancy place - The Melting Pot. We have such a routine, we've become like the old couple that doesn't want to try anything new. In fact, they took the cheesecake off the dessert plate and it threw us off -thankfully our waiter was nice and brought us a piece from the back at no charge. On our actual anniversary Steven was in San Francisco, CA, visiting with a couple good  high school friends of his. And the next day I snuck off (not really,of course, it had been planned for months) to a girl's weekend with three of my long-time best friends to High Rock Lake for a wonderful kid-free retreat. 

 Between the 4 of us we have 14 children and only one got to come, she was young enough to let the grown ups do all the talking and sweet to pass around and snuggle with, too. We did some cooking, slept late-ish, shopped, got pedicures, listened to a great sermon online, and talked pretty much non-stop. Old friends are the best, hands down. I'm so thankful for all the dear friends the Lord has placed in my life. He knows we need these relationships. 

 I am not very creative or artistic, my brother got all those genes in the family. I like to cross-stich because it's looks like art but it's really math. I got these chairs for free from our neigbor, though, and decided to paint one for each child. Normally my projects are like the pinterest fails but I was pretty happy with how these turned out. 

 Davd got orange for Clemson and Eli got a Wolfpack chair - which they are very happy with. Mary Jo likes to climb in them, especially when they were insde, which is much safer than her other endeavors. She started walking right at 13 months and is enjoying her new skill immensely. I'm afraid I have another climber on my hands, she loves to climb up on top of tables and still has no idea that she can fall off. Bad combo. Eli and Sadie are good about rescuing her quickly if I'm across the room, thank goodness for older siblings. Speaking of, Eli turned 5! I tried to have a little more low-key of a birthday for him this year but when you're 5 it's just a big deal, there's no way around it. He looked forward to it for weeks, and it doesn't take much to make him happy. He ate cheese dip and Krispy Kreme donuts with his cousins on his actual birthday, shared the rest of the donuts with his class the next day, then that weekend we had a big Harrell get together and celebrated with him and Steven (they were born 30 years and a few minutes apart!). 

 I still can't believe I have 2 boys. They are really enjoying each other lately and I love to watch them play together. I pray they always have a close bond.

This is my new favorite picture of Mary Jo, it just sort of sums up her developing personality. I'm sorry this post is not very exciting, but sometimes it's nice to just enjoy the mundane, everyday life. I'll never forget watching some special on TV with my Mom when I was in high school or college of a Holocaust survivor. I don't remember much of what she said except for this one quote, "I will never again take for granted a boring evening at home." I'm ok with that, too. Goodnight!

Slippery slopes!

Thankfully, this is not my car, nor anyone I know, but it kind of depicts our life the last couple of weeks. Since Mary Jo's visit to the ER on the first of February we just can't stay well. Thankfully, we haven't had any more fevers of 106, just ear infections, GI bugs, and lice. Yes, I said it. L-I-C-E. It is amazing to me how such a tiny little pest can make you feel so violated, so defeated, as a mother. And just writing about it is making my head itch a little, and most likely you wont be able to read this sentence without scratching your head, too. Sorry about that, don't worry, you don't have it. What makes it even more fun to deal with is that your kids have no embarrassment about it, no idea that it's not really cool to talk about it socially. I quietly asked the pharmacist at Walmart the other day where they sold the lice removal kits and Sadie popped up in the buggy and proudly said "I have lice!" I don't think I can wash any more sheets or vacuum any more. My house is really quite clean because of all this nonsense. Hopefully clean and nit-free, as our heads are. Somebody told me recently that lice don't like dirty heads, so my new preventative measures are going to be less baths. For the kids, not me. 

I don't like to be negative but I am so tired of this winter weather. I actually took this picture on the way to work this week, the kids had yet another snow day and the roads were incredibly slick. The night before Mary Jo had some weird, choking episode that I had traumatized Steven over, so he was still a little shaken up and worried more than usual about me driving in. Thank the Lord she was alright, and I wasn't the in the car that slipped off the road. I read a very sad story about a family that lost two children a couple weeks ago in a terrible accident and my heart has been so heavy for them. They have a strong faith and an amazing testimony through their grief, but I always struggle with anxieties when I hear things like this. I want to hold my babies and never let go. But we have to let go, the Lord didn't design us to have these children and keep them in our arms forever. Thankfully, they don't grow up overnight. They crawl then start to pull up, gain independence, and  little by little we watch them become  their own little people. However long I have these little ones around me is a blessing, and I just need to rest in the peace and joy the Lord gives, no matter the situation. As wise friend once said something to the effect of "the peace that transcends understanding is not meant for imagined fears." In other words, the Lord will grant us what we need when we need it, not before.

We had another winter storm last night, a pretty good ice storm, hopefully on the eve of the Spring! We lost power, leading to a pretty sleepless night. By 6am we had 3 kids in the bed and everyone was asleep but me. I've gotten used to the noisemakers in the house, the trees snapping and cracking outside and the dark quiet house were not a good replacement for them. It was kind of a sweet morning though, albeit cold. We had dry cheerios and donut holes for breakfast, I wish I had my camera while David looked sadly at the refrigerator duct taped shut (he didn't understand why we couldn't have milk - Steven didn't trust any of us not to open it). Supposedly it's going to be in the 60s tomorrow and sunny, I can't wait. The Lord's mercies are new every morning. Whether you're on a slippery slope or in a time of blessing, have lice in your house or a fairly healthy crew, I hope you are trusting in Him for your needs - He can and will meet every one.

Comparisons

My baby girl is 1! I can't believe it. I've been feeling nostaglic with her birthday happening last week, on the actual day we had 6-8 inches of snow! It was so pretty, and fun to be home with my babies. Sadie made her a doughnut cake with white donuts and a candle, it was sweet (and smart since all those donuts were suddenly within reach). We celebrated with a little party on Saturday night, I'll post some pictures from that later. Today was her 1 year check up at the doctor and she was a whopping 15 pounds, 6 ounces. She's just riding right on her little curve, just like Sadie did. I went and found the rap sheet for the other three kids to compare their weights....and tonight got a little carried away with the comparisons. I can see a little bit of Mary Jo in each of them. 1 year olds are so much fun. 

 

The first picture is Eli, the next David, and the last is my Sadie, all around the same age as Mary Jo is now. At 12 months Sadie weighed 16 pounds, Eli 19, and David 20. It's amazing that I nursed all of them and they all grew so differently. As Steven liks to say, "they come from a long line of shrimps."
I was walking with the boys to the bus stop today, holding Eli's hand, when he started whining and saying his legs were tired. My first reaction was to lecture him about not complaining, etc, when he very sweetly said, "Mama, why don't you ever carry me anymore?" I stopped in my tracks and picked him up. He put his littls arms around my neck and after about 15 steps he said he was ok, he could walk now. It made an impresssion on me, after all he is nearly 5, and I have 2 children younger than him, but he still needs that TLC just as much. Tonight I was trying to catch up on my bible study notes in Matthew 18, where Jesus talks about having faith like a little child. I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach when I read "Children choose a parent's arms above those of anyone." I'm so thankful that I still have children that want to be in my arms... because I know this is fleeting. And what a great and humbling lesson that I should be dependent on the Lord, desiring His presence, like my children want to be with me. I hope I'll always remember those sweet arms around my neck, and even more importantly that it will always reminds me to cling to the Lord.

Fires and fevers

This is one my new favorite foods, a spinach smoothie. The childhood me would be shocked. As are my husband and kids when I make it "she's making that green stuff again that she says tastes like ice cream but we know it doesn't!! Ewww!!" It does have heavy cream and vanilla, mind you, it isn't exactly low fat or low calorie. But it's allowed on my diet and it's yummy. 

My kids have the best grandparents in the the world. Seriously, we are so blessed. I can't seem to remember to get my camera out as often for Steven's parents but they get on the floor and play with them, too nearly every day. Yesterday I told the kids it had gotten too late to watch Charlie Brown, which was met with severe disappointment. Eli actually said "You're the worst" (that one stung) and Sadie started talking about how I never play with them. I wanted to say, "that's what your grandparents are for, silly," but I refrained. I do play with my kids, although that night my mom self-confidence was a little shaken. Thankfully, they're little, so by morning I was great shakes again. I know, I know, just wait till they're teenagers, they'll hate me for a week, yada yada yada. 

Another perk of going to Charlotte - haircuts and popsicles. And I was so pleased that D did not scream bloody murder this time, I love when kids just turn the corner with maturity. Now if we can just get him to realize that pooping in his pants isn't cool, either. 

My little peanut gave us a scare this weekend. We went to a "jumpy place" Saturday afternoon (as my kids call it) then to eat dinner and when we got home she was burning up. I took her temp and it was 106.4! I sent Sadie upstairs to get her Daddy and tell him it was an emergency, which she likes to say her actions "saved Mary Jo's life." I was in a bit of a panic, called the doctor, and ended up in the ER getting her checked out. The little stinker wont take medicine well, but thankfully you can't spit out a suppository so her fever finally came down.  She tested negative for a UTI or pneumonia, it was deemed "viral" (the catch all for "we don't know what in the world is wrong with her"). Her favorite part of the night was taking the ride on my lap in the wheelchair (I felt really funny having someone push me to radiology in the wheelchair, not sure why I couldn't just walk and carry her..). She looked so cute in the gown I had to take a picture. We were so touched by all the concerned friends and family that prayed for us, the Lord is so good. 

This picture is the day after her ER visit, obviously a much happier camper. I was playing some hymns and looked down to see Mary Jo chiming in one one little note - if she gets on her tiptoes she can just barely reach....

but as you can see she is much happier on the bench, banging on all the keys.

 Sadie is such a good big sister! She's taking piano lessons this year and looks like she'd like to start teaching Mary Jo. 

OK, sorry, way too many pictures of Mary Jo. She's just at a good age for cute pictures. I was doing dishes tonight and she was truly "underfoot," before I knew it she had completely climbed in the cabinet. D of course thought it was hilarious to just shut the doors. Did I remove the potentially toxic cleaners from her hands? No, I grabbed my camera and took a picture. Mom of the year. 

I titled this Fires and fevers, not just for the alliteration, but because our sweet neighbors behind us had a horrible house fire exactly 1 week ago today. It was right as we went to bed, during the snow, and it was truly a surreal scene. Thank the Lord the couple was unhurt, it could have been so much worse. We've shown the kids the damage to the house and talked about fires with them, and fire safety, to make them aware of the dangers. I could see Eli's little wheels turning today as he asked me "can smoke kill people?" I said yes. Then he switched gears a little and said "can smoke kill deers?" (the boys are all about hunting right now). Before I could answer D (he's 2, mind you) piped in "I can kill deers!" Oh I love these little people. Goodnight!