Weathering the storm

Well, so far, we have survived Isaac.  I'm not sure what/if other significant weather is coming our way. This is partially because I've never been one to keep up with the weather very well.  This is also because my 4 year-old is a little freaked out by the hurricane images he's seen on TV, so I've done my best to steer clear of the weather.  We've probably watched a lil more Phineas and Ferb than we should, but I believe that's better than having him anxious about the weather.  

It's been approximately 60 hours since my kids last left the house.  So, to say they have cabin fever is a bit of an understatement.  Our homebodieness hasn't just been due to the weather.  No ma'am.  We would've been living it up at the children's museum today if I was just trying to avoid being caught in rough weather.  We've been the poster children for Benadryl and Robitussin, so we are staying put until we know our funk is gone.  We sure don't want to spread the funk.  Well, not that kind anyway.

So, how have I stayed sane?  Honestly, I don't remember much about yesterday.  I felt pretty cruddy, and the hours just kinda ran together.  I DO remember what I cooked last night, but only because I feel like I'm wearing it in an inflatable innertube around my waist today.  It was some serious fat girl food...chicken and rice casserole, butter beans, fried okra, buttermilk biscuits, and ooey gooey chocolate butter cookies.  Paula Deen and my granny would've been proud.  The arc trainer is going to whip my tail whenever I can scrape up enough energy to visit him (yes, it's a him).

Today, I've stayed sane by sewing, taking pics, and wearing scrub bottoms.  I have showered today, and I did initially start the day off wearing blue jeans, but they got wet while taking pics.  So, I changed into my scrub pants.  Darn : )  I finally started quilting Cade's quilt today, but my upper thread was breaking every 30 seconds.  I just had to back away from the machine...slowly and without scissors in hand.  Otherwise, it may have gotten shanked.  After a Tervis tumbler of coffee and some snuggles with my Trek man, I revisited the machine.  I decided to check out what was going on in the bobbin casing.  Holy moly.  Lint central.  After cleaning out what amounted to a small rodent's worth of lint and dust, I tightened a couple of screws and put it all back together.  Now it purrs like a kitten instead of making a chomping noise as it severs the thread and builds a bird's nest in my bobbin casing.  Whew.  I really didn't want to kill my machine.  Now, if I could just get someone to deliver new needles for my serger and my machine, I'd be great.  Maybe that'll be my sanity trip tonight after my hubs gets home.  Everyone needs to make a sanity needle run every now and then.  

No, really, today has been pretty chill.  I pulled out the camera, threw the ole plastic fantastic on (don't hate), and sat on the back steps with my favorite girl.  We had a good time catching rain drops, making silly faces,  and giving/receiving hugs.  She brought me to tears when she wrapped her little body around my legs and told me "I love you mommy."  It's not that she never says she loves me, or that she never hugs me. It's the fact that she did it without any prompting or ulterior motives (that I know of yet).  She likes to play hard to get most of the time, so moments like these are priceless.  I'm just so happy to have these sweet images to re-visit when she's being a tough little fireball.

One of my favs...I'm thinking enlargement fa sho.

This begins the "many faces of Eve series"...Ha

As I was looking through these images, I had a flash...way-back...flashback.  I started singing an old hymn in my head..."Count your many blessings name them one by one, count your many blessings see what God hath done...."  I think looking through all these different "faces" triggered this feeling of being blessed.  I know I've said it before, but this little girl challenges me like no one else.  God gave her all these different facets and faces, and today I felt truly blessed and honored to be the person who gets to see them each and every day.

Speaking of faces, here's one you haven't seen much of, but it will melt you.  This little chunk may leave a lot to be desired in the sleep department, but he has stolen our hearts with his smile and blue eyes.

And Cade, who has had a love/hate relationship with the camera lately, snuck in for a few with his brother. 

There were very few clear ones with the two of them because when Cade's around, Trek just can't contain himself.  Arms and legs start flying.  They LOVE each other.  So much so, we decided to bunk them in a room together and let Miss Priss have a girl room.  Well, that wasn't the only reason for the move, but they do love each other, and I think Cade takes a lot of pride in having a "boy's only" room now.  Eve loves to talk.  It doesn't matter who or what you are.  She's going to talk your ears off.  This wasn't working out so well and nap and bedtime.  Cade was getting frustrated, and they were both getting in lots of trouble.  This was frustrating everyone.  It was an all-around sucky situation.  Trek is still waking up quite a bit, so we have a pack-n-play that we can re-locate him to at night when he fusses, but he usually spends at least half the night in his crib in the boy room : )  I think Cade is ready for him to jump on the bed with him and build cool Lego creations, but I also think he thoroughly enjoys having his baby brother.  He has such a sense of ownership and responsibility when it comes to Trek...it's really hard to fully explain just how special their relationship is.  

Now, I'll leave you with some of the random, funny stuff I've overheard here lately.

*Eve-"Pfft....oooooh Cade, I just pooted." (this was actually stated with an apologetic tone...not her norm)

Cade- (with sympathy) "Eve, it's ok.  I do it sometimes.  So does mommy."

*Yesterday, I made them go outside to play before the weather started acting a fool.  I knew it was gonna be a long few days ahead, and it felt amazing outside.  After being out there a few minutes, I hear them both start to shriek.

Cade- "The wind is blowing!  That bi-bi-big circle thing..uh...hurricane daddy showed me on the computer radar is going to get us!  He said it's coming right for us!"...

After reassuring them that the hurricane was not about to blow them away, they played for a few more minutes as I attempted to get the house clean and quiet for Trek to nap.  Suddenly, I hear more shouting, and I see them running up to the back door.

Cade-"I heard a tornado!  I sounded like one of those big trucks on the innastate!"

Great, I thought.  It sounds like he's auditioning for the redneck slot on the post-tornado newscast.  All we were missing was a leveled trailer park in the background.  

*After the kid room swap was complete, I heard Cade explaining the purpose of the swap to Eve.

"Now that we have a boy room, and you have a girl room, the baby girl can go in your room when mommy has her."

Ummm.  Nooo.  I am not pregnant, no matter what my kids may tell you.  Let me repeat...they do NOT know anything you don't!  There is no bun in this oven.  No ma'am.

And the last one for now...

*As I was preparing a cheesecake one evening, Eve asked if this dessert was for her.  I told her it was for the next night, when Brandon's parents would be coming over for dinner.  Her voice rose several octaves and went syrupy southern, she started stroking and twisting her hair, and she said, "Oh, I am sooooo ready for papa and nana to come over to my house and say '"Oh my!  You are so beautiful Eve."'

Unfortunately, that is an extremely accurate portrayal of that scene.  No elaboration.  I'm telling you, she's trouble. Brandon says she's either going to be extremely savvy and successful, or she'll end up in jail.  With Eve, he's right.  There's no in between!

Until next time....whenever that may be : )

Rebel Child

When people see me out and about with one child, they often feel the need to tell me that I better enjoy having just one for a while.  After I inform them that I actually have three, they usually ask about ages, their genders, yada, yada, yada...  Inevitably, after learning that Eve is sandwiched in between two boys, they say "Oh, she's going to be a tough one with two boys around."  To which I reply "No, they're going to be tough ones with her around."  They chuckle like I'm being funny or making a little joke.

People.  I'm not joking.  You'd think this girl has been training to be a cage fighter.  

She.  Is.  Tough.  Stubborn.  Strategic.  You name it.

Here lately, I'm sure my friends on Facebook and family members feel like maybe I'm "picking" on her or exaggerating her less than desirable behavior.  Well, ladies and gents, I've been taking it easy on her. I'm not sure how she functions throughout the day because she has apparently straight up lost her mind.

I'm sure you remember from the previous post that she pooped on the bathroom floor a couple weeks back.  The thought of it still makes me gag.  I mean, she was 2 feet from the toilet.  She's been fully potty trained for 9 months.  What gives?!?

So, here we are a couple of weeks later, and the girl hasn't lost steam.  If anything, she's gaining it.  

Yesterday, while loading the dishwasher, I detected a "minty" odor in the air.  I ignored it.  Big mistake.  About 20 minutes later I heard a noise from the older two kids' room.  Perched at the end of her bed, Eve is scooping out and slathering Vicks Vapo rub all over her body...clothes and all.  I wiped her up, changed her clothes, and ordered her back to bed.  Goodness.

Now here we are, 24 hours, 15 growls and "I fustated wif you"s, 30 screams, 2 pull-your-hair-out bedtimes, 3 pull-your-hair-out meals, 3 spankings, and 2 snuggle sessions later.  

Oh, I forgot to include the "I colored all over my parents' 2-day-old 750TC sheet set and 1 of their 3-day-old pillow shams which belongs to a discontinued, super rare organic line which my mom scored at Hudson's for 17% of its original retail" part of that time period.  Ooops.  How did I forget that detail?

I'll tell you how.  I'm still on the verge of tears.  My hands are about to crack from being exposed to so much rubbing alcohol, hairspray, and ink remover.  In my washing machine, sits my set of still ink-stained sheets which we scrimped and saved for.  That's how I forgot...I want to pretend it never happened. We recently wore holes all the way through both fitted sheets from sets we were given at wedding showers.  They were that bad.  We've been sleeping on top of and under flat sheets.  Needless to say, I was a little upset today when Brandon sent the text that "Eve has taken a pen to our sheets."  Here I was, grande caramel frappe in hand, cruising Target, kid-free...living it up.  The next second, I'm struggling not to cry on the curtain rod aisle.  It wasn't until I got home and saw the actual extent of the damage that the bile began to rise up in my throat.  I've used every trick I can find on the web to remove these black, gel-ink pen marks.  I've given up on the sheets.  Those marks can be hidden.  The sham is a different story.  It fell victim to the most damage.  I'm going to cross my fingers and take it to the cleaners tomorrow.  

Now get this.  After a daddy spanking...the girl was still tear and remorse-free.  

I just about cry when I witness a daddy spanking.  

Occasionally, she softens up, says kind things, obeys, and melts my heart.  But right now, she apparently has ice water flowing through her veins, and she's breaking my heart in two.  

Ehhh.  Tomorrow is another day.  Let's just hope she doesn't take my pair of Gingher scissors to her new patchwork quilt I just completed last night.  

To lighten things up a bit, here are a few pics from this morning...before it all went soooo far south.

After the kids knocked and whined at the back door constantly for 30 minutes to come back inside (I know I'm not the only one who banishes the kids to the back yard every now and then), I got the bright idea to drag the plastic kiddie pool to the foot of their playset slide.  Did I mention I'm a genius?  They played virtually whine and altercation-free for almost an hour.  We cooled off with a fruit bar and some intense rolly polly hunting.  

Wounded

Speedy recovery : )

Well, I guess I'm off to throw my one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork sheets into the dryer now.  Gag.