Cup Runneth Over

I haven't decided which of these two events will be the death of me first:

• 2008 Presidential Elections and all of its campaigning
  

• Chutes and Ladders (Yes, the bored, I mean, board game.)

Last week was a low-key week in order to allow Jack time to rest and recover. It was nice to be home more than usual. But there was one morning in particular in which this house, THIS HOUSE, was closing in on us, and we had to GET OUT!

Because I'm an educated woman, I picked up on those subtle clues and made the executive decision that we better get ourselves away from these four walls before somebody went a little loony.

We headed to the duck pond to see if there were any spring ducklings yet. Unfortunately, there were not. But the mamas were busy squatting over their eggs.

I'm not versed in Duckology 101, but I'm guessing this abandoned egg doesn't have any hope.Because the mamas were working hard on warming their younguns, the daddies waddled over to take a snack from the boys.

I'd like to say the daddy ducks were worried about their babies and wanted to rush back to their wives' sides. But they might have been blinded by all the bright yellow, because they only took a few bites before returning to the water.

(I am often asked if I dress the boys alike daily. No, I do not. I love to dress them alike, and I do it as often as I can. I'm sure there will be a day when they say, "Mom, we are NOT wearing the same shirt anymore!" But I hope that day doesn't come before they have hair on their chests.)

This particular duck came back for seconds, and Jack felt a kinship to him and called him "my duck".
Garrett didn't hold out hope for anymore feeding, so he warmed up his pitching arm with the bread.
Liam was a little offended that the ducks weren't interested in his bread.
I was able to gather the boys for some group photos. They were in no mood for "pretty smiles". I relented and asked for silly faces.
And there's no quicker way of getting my boys to the car than to say "RUN!"
But Jack wasn't in the mood, and this hand-on-the-back pose is the posture I get when he is in no mood for me.

We'll go back next week and check for our ducklings. By then, we may have them named. I'll let you know.

Rick, don't ask me where the chocolate ice cream went. I have no idea at all.

I also have no idea why I have been craving ice cream for the past 24 hours. Although I like ice cream, I don't normally crave it. But my mind and stomach wandered to the freezer several times yesterday. I didn't give in until 9pm last night, but when I could no longer ignore that pit in my stomach, I filled it not with just ice cream. No, it was a giant bowl of chocolate ice cream covered with Heath and chocolate syrup. And there might have been 2 more toppings. But I'm not certain, because I fell asleep after the sugar low.

And before anyone posts a comment of "Maybe you're pregnant!".... Hello, my name is Ami and this here is my blog. Clearly you haven't been reading long enough to know that #1 I am infertile, and #2 I wouldn't make an announcement like that through a subtle hint. NO, I would be rather blunt and tell you, "Hey, I'm pregnant."

But I'm not. So, let's continue.

In other news, we have been home a lot this week. We were quite busy on Monday and Tuesday, so I declared the rest of the week time to slow down and stay home. And Rick declared that I have been spending too much gas money, so we're grounded.

In an effort to keep the wild boys entertained, I set up their tent and let them drag two hundred of their toys into it. And I happily put up with this chaotic mess for 48 hours! I did not have one panic attack over the mess that grew every hour in the middle of my living room. I am so proud of myself.

The boys had themselves a grand time, as you can see.

But by 8pm last night, THAT TENT HAD TO GO! And an hour later, I was eating ice cream.

As we were playing outside a bit yesterday afternoon, some elementary-aged kids asked if they could give the boys face paintings. As much as the control freak in me wanted to say no, I couldn't deny my children the thrill of the artistic expertise of nine year olds. And my husband was there to nudge me into being a fun mom.

Liam asked to be a clown.

And a clown he is. Let me just pause and enjoy that face without glasses. I miss seeing those large eyes without polycarbonate lenses and wiring around them.

Jack also asked for a clown, but his artist drew something that resembled a stick figure. I think I could have done better, and I have never once declared myself artistic. But J Man was happy, so I was happy.

Garrett had a baseball painted on his cheek, but he wasn't available for autographs or photos. He was in no mood for the paparazzi.

Following the painting, we found Daddy in the backyard looking at his newly planted vegetable garden. When we moved into this house nearly three years ago, I told him there would be no plants in the back yard, because I did not want to chase little boys away from them.

We decided that this was the year we could plant some things without fretting over the boys' ability to understand the importance of not pulling the plants out of the ground two minutes later. Rick and the boys have had some fun times digging in the dirt over the past couple of weeks.

Penny for your thoughts, Rick.

Jack, aka Daddy's boy, also loves the garden. He looks forward to the day we tell him, "Go ahead and pick a strawberry."

Until then, he plays with the mulch.

Did you know that today is the first day of spring? It is! It was a bit chilly to play outside this morning, so I kept the boys busy indoors. First, we had a lesson on rain and rainbows, because we've been studying the letter R this week. As part of the lesson, we drew pictures of rainbows.

Then, we made a rainmaker. I will not claim originality on this idea. My mother-in-law actually bought the supplies for us a few weeks ago, and I saved it for the R week.

Jack loved hammering! I was a little bit scared he would get carried away and hammer some walls or furniture, so I kept him at my side.

Garrett couldn't wait for the finished product, so he got busy with his turn.

Liam was more than tired of the camera , so he rolled his eyes at me. I'm not sure where he learned that trick.

Finally, a rainmaker! Honestly, the making was much more fun than the finished product.

And because I'm such an awesome mama, we also dyed Easter eggs today. What else is there to do on the first day of Spring?!

The boys were fascinated with the the whole "add vinegar to the cup and drop a dye tablet" idea. Clearly, this former science teacher does not do enough experiments around here.

Tada! The finished product:

Actually, the boys want to add stickers tonight. Stickers? I never put stickers on my Easter eggs as a kid, but it's not about me.

Those three eggs that look white are not white. They're pastel eggs, because this organized mama ran out of vinegar.

And don't ask about the two missing eggs.

While the eggs were drying, the boys decided to be the pirates who don't do anything. Literally. I did not make that up. They sang the Veggie Tales song. And when they ran out of words, they sang the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine".

We teach them well.

What a random and long post. Thanks for stickin' around.

If I'm not able to check back in before Sunday, happy Easter, y'all. Remember it's not just about candy and eggs.

A Concerned Leader...yep, that's me in a nutshell. How about you? Go here to take your own test.

I am in a rotten mood today, and I keep wondering why. But I think I've nailed it down to the following:

1. It's Monday.
2. We had an amazingly fun weekend as a family, and it's over, being that it's Monday.
3. I'm craving junk food, being that it's Monday, and I need to seriously cut back after eating everything within arm's reach over the weekend.
4. I hate my hair, and that has nothing to do with the fact that it's Monday.

I think #1 sums it up the best.

How's your Monday?

There's this meme floating around Bloggityville lately that I just can't continue to pass up any longer. This meme consists of seven things about me. Here goes....

1. I nearly drowned as a five year-old. I got into water too deep over my head, and I remember the horribly helpless feeling of bobbing up and down and trying with every ounce of my body to scream for help. When my parents discovered me, my lips were turning blue. I made it, obviously, but I still have a fear of the water to this day. I do not want water in my face at any time, including the shower. But I do mange to wash my face regularly, thankyouverymuch.

2. I abhor june bugs! They are the most disgusting insects on the face of this earth. This phobia also dates back to my early childhood when one got tangled in my long hair. Those nasty things tend to gravitate towards my hair every summer.

3. I have a tattoo. I'm too lazy to get the camera to take a picture of it right now. It's a black icthus (the Christian fish) on my left ankle. My mother hates it. I like it. I want another one. (Hi, Mom.)

4. I secretly want six kids. (Hi, Rick.)

5. I graduated from college with three credit hours shy of a double major. Yes, that's right, only three hours short of it. I could not force myself to stick around one more semester for the one required course that I needed. I don't know if my parents know that fact. (Hi, Mom.)

6. I used my degree to teach math and science for five years before becoming a mommy. I miss the actual teaching part, but I haven't missed the parents for one day. Parents, be nice to your kids' teachers!

7. I want to skydive!

That was fun. Hope you enjoyed it. If you want to join in on your own blog, consider yourself tagged and leave me a comment so that I can check yours out.

Who remembers the "Friends" episode where Ross has his teeth whitened, only his pearly whites end up blinding everyone around him?

Recently, Liam asked me when his "big teeth" will come in. I explained that his baby teeth will fall out in a couple years and that "big teeth like Mommy's" would come in their place. He quickly added, "No, I don't want yellow teeth like Mommy's. I want white teeth." That was the moment that my self-esteem was shattered by a 3 1/2 year-old.

Because I can't take diet Coke intravenously, my caffeine habit must enter my body by way of the mouth. Thus, my teeth aren't exactly white. Now, please give me some credit here, because my self-esteem is wavering upon your support. My teeth are not the most yellow mess I've ever seen, but I am not too keen on their not-so-whiteness. And since my son is obviously bothered by them, I have decided to try a bleaching system purchased from the dentist.

Because this bleach product was purchased from the dentist, I'm hopeful that my teeth will be white soon, only not quite as white as Ross'. I'm thinking there must be a happy medium between their current yellow tint and the blinding fluorescent version seen on "Friends".

While we're on the topic, what is your favorite episode of "Friends"?

The slow-dying cold has turned into a sinus infection that includes a headache the size of a two-by-four. I did not invite this cold, so I'm not certain why the sinus infection or headache thought I would be happy to have them over. But I'm not. Thus, I got nothin' for ya' today. (I love the word "thus" and try to use it frequently.)

Besides last Friday's funny, I haven't posted anything worthwhile in weeks, possibly months. (I'm not exactly certain that Friday's funny was "worthwhile", but anything worth a laugh in my house is worth sharing, in my humble opinion.) So, here I sit, with my up-and-running laptop, and I'm not certain where I should begin with today's post. I have many thoughts running around in my head, so let's just see where this takes me.

Maybe I should begin with listing all the things that I accomplished last week while the computer and the husband were away. I cleaned and organized all closets, dusted all ceiling fans, blinds & baseboards, polished kitchen cabinets, touched-up paint throughout the house, picked weeds, and sorted the boys' toys. I feel so much better! When I told Rick about all that I had accomplished in his absence, he asked if he should go away more often. Absolutely not! I'm worn out! But I might need the computer to be taken away from me every few months in order to accomplish household duties. Eek, did I really just say that?!

We've had glorious weather this week with temps in the upper 70s and lots o' sunshine. The boys and I have played outside a lot, and it has been simply wonderful for my outlook on life. Today is just another sunny and warm day, so I'm headed to the backyard with a book while the boys nap. If my wireless router were working, I'd take you with me and write something awe-inspiring, I'm sure.

I admit it. I have a fetish. Or maybe it's an addiction. I should attend BCA. That is Basket Collectors Anonymous.

I love baskets. Any shape, size or color will do. When I stand in the middle of my living room floor, I can spot 6 baskets within plain sight. And that does not count walking into bedrooms or closets. Although I will not bore you by naming each basket's specific use, I could. No basket goes unused around here.

So, if each basket has a specific use, is it really an addiction? Or could it simply be a fetish when I walked through Garden Ridge today and I spotted another 6 baskets that I would really like to have? And truly, hubby, I can think of a use for each one! And they were all on SALE! Gasp! But I did not buy any. I repeat, I did not buy one. Because I did not think that I could face my husband tonight and tell him that I bought just one more basket.

But I cannot get my mind off of them. They are calling my name. What if I can't sleep tonight?! Okay, if I lose sleep over them, then I'll know it's an addiction, and I truly do need to find my local chapter of BCA. Anyone care to join me?

You know the phrase: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. In my house, that is especially true when my husband travels.

He left our house at 11 this morning for a business trip. He wasn't gone one hour before Jackson had blood oozing out of his ear and Garrett had diarrhea. I kid you not! I'm also not kidding when I say that both of those boys were in the doctor's office earlier this morning for their two-year check-ups, and they were both fine at that time.

I am also not joking when I say that since that 9:00 check-up, our pediatrician has begun labor. During Jack's second appointment, the doctor and I were both laughing at how much could happen in two hour's time! We even had to stop laughing so that she could focus on breathing through a contraction! (She's full-term, so it's okay that she began labor today. And I imagine that, should the baby need to be delivered on-site, enough pediatricians and nurses could handle such an emergency.)

Jack's ear had too much blood in it for her to know if it's an infection or an injury. He has been perfectly happy through all of this, so he doesn't appear to be in pain. She prescribed some ear drops to be administered for a week, and then he'll go in for a re-check in another week.

Garrett's tummy seems to be cramping, so I fear that he's caught a stomach bug. Dear God, help us all. I do not do well with stomach bugs. I really, really don't! I have been known to run the other way, when Rick or one of the boys vomit, I kid you not. My blood pressure and heart rate sky rocket, and I lose sleep for days until I see that everyone in the house is healthy again. Truly! So, Murphy's law (or Satan) must be wreaking havoc on us right now, being that Daddy is out of town.

So, let's see what else can go wrong today?! Anyone out there have a story to top this one? If so, please post it in my comment section.

We played hard this morning, and Jack just couldn't make it home.

Saturday is the one day of the week that I attempt to sleep in. Sleeping until 7:30 would be divine! It's not Rick's alarm or shower that awakened me this morning, nor any other Saturday. It's not the children, because Jack and Garrett haven't figured out how to climb out of their cribs, and Liam has a reward system in place for waiting in bed.


However, my Boston Terrier, Winston, came waddling into my room at 7:00. I suppose I should be grateful that he didn't jump on my bed. I should also be glad that it was 7:00 and not 6:59, where I might be forced to throw my pillow at him. Instead, he came in sniffing, snorting and stretching to let me know that it was time to get the day started.


I love Winston. He's a good dog. But I need to think of a reward system for him to let me sleep in. Any ideas?

This is my first attempt at a Meme. What better occasion than to review 2006? Here goes....
1. What did you do in 2006 that you had never done before? I began my very own blog!
2.Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn't make any resolutions last year, so yes, I kept them all! I better keep my successes going and not make any resolutions for 2007!
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit? None this year. We hope to go back to Europe someday. (Yes, I know that's a continent and not a country.)
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? More peace in my heart and mind to know that God is in control.
7. What dates will remain etched in your memory and why? "Etched" in my memory...well, dates are not what stick in my brain anymore. Give me a phone number, however, and I'll remember it for years.
8. What's your biggest achievement of the year? I finished all Christmas shopping before December!!!
9. What was your biggest failure? Every time I yelled at my kids.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing more than the usual cold/allergies, thankfully.
11.What was the best thing you bought? My husband's guitar. He has spent countless hours playing it.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? When all three boys learned to climb into their car seats on their own. No more lifting for me!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted? My own...every time I lose my patience with my boys.
14. Where did most of your money go? Sadly, groceries.
15. What did you get really really excited about? Receiving the "Willow Tree" nativity scene from my mom. I've wanted it for years!
16. What song will always remind you of 2006? "Eight Days a Week" by The Beatles
17. Compared to this time last year are you? a)happier or sadder? Happier. b)fatter or thinner? Same. c) richer or poorer? Richer, in more ways than one.
18. What do you wish you had done more of? Relished every happy moment with my little boys. 19. What do you wish you had done less of? Lost my patience with my little boys.
20. How will you be spending New Year's Eve? We will probably eat a lot of junk food before healthy eating begins January 1. And then we'll fall asleep by 10 pm. I know it's not exciting! Would you rather I say that we're going to party all night, only to awaken in the new year with zero memory of our New Year's Eve?
21. Did you fall in love in 2006? Why, sure! I love 5 men more every day...my hubby, my 3 boys, and my dog.
22. What was your favorite TV program? LOST
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Gulp.
24. What was the best book you read? Oh boy, this is hard. I love to read fiction, but I don't keep a running list of what I've read. So, I can only remember authors that I enjoy. I've enjoyed Jodi Picoult and T. Davis Bunn this year.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I don't think I made any new discoveries in the music department this year.
26. What did you want and get? A CD player/radio to hang under my kitchen cabinets. I got it for Christmas from my mother-in-law.
27. What did you not want and not get? A toaster oven.
28. What was your favorite film this year? We don't see movies very often. You know, we have young kids. But we just saw Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith this week, and it was very good.
29. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you? 31. Rick took me to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner!
30. What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying? Although I really have nothing to complain about in my life, I can think of a few things that could have made 2006 more satisfying...a swimming pool in my back yard, one more vacation, less family strife.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion in 2006? Long-sleeved T and jeans in the winter, tank top and shorts in the summer, capri pants and 3/4-length shirts in the in-between seasons.
32. What kept you sane? Email and blogs!
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I really don't waste my time on them.
34. What political issue stirred you the most? Saddam Hussein's trial and death. He was a very sick and evil man. I'm glad that he can't hurt anyone else; however, I do grieve for his lost soul.
35. Who did you miss? My Colorado friends, the Bergerons and the Hopkins.
36. Who was the best new person you met? The Martin family.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. When life seems bleak, don't doubt that God can come through with miracles. During the summer, we were struggling so much financially that our groceries were going on the credit card. I became vey skeptical and depressed, but God opened a new opportunity for Rick's career. He loves his new job, and we are able to pay for groceries!
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "Don't worry. Be happy."

Who loves a day filled with accomplishment? I do, I do! Here is what I have done today:

• Exercised
• Bought groceries
• Taken down all Christmas decorations
• Rearranged both attic spaces
• Taken the boys on a walk

I wonder how many calories I burned with all of that activity? What we're having for dinner will probably counteract every bit of all that work...it's pizza night! I deserve it, right?! What did you do today?