Tuesday, January 4, 2011

A Vacuum Cleaner Full of Silly Bandz and a Heart Full of Love

So Small has started crawling and when I say crawling I don't mean just starting to mosey around and explore a little. I mean a full on Jeff Gordon-oh my gosh where is he-speed crawl. Luckily it was just a week after we put up the Christmas tree. (Cue TAPS now) We have lost a few good ornaments, but we are making due. I think the tree was pretty much his inspiration for learning to crawl. Good Work, Baby Boy!! I am not much on cleaning...there are about 10 thousand things I would rather be doing. Thankfully, I have Lin to keep me in check! ;-) But after the third time one of the girls brought me a slobbery little dust bunny that they claimed to have pulled out of Small's mouth (you mean you rescued it from a bear trap....as if!) I figured it was time to put it in high gear. Since I am sweeping 2-3 times a day now you might not have to step on crunched up cereal if you visit the Animal House. Don't you worry, as soon as he is walking the broom and I are breaking up.



The girls got lots of Silly Bandz for Christmas (thanks to all of you for NOT getting the scented ones!!!) which is great because they love them. They count them and name them and trade them, it's really pretty cute. But I swear those things are multiplying. Every time I turn around there they are. And it seems like more and more of them. Are they breeding? Are they following me? Would she really notice if I threw out the broken one?? Small finds them to be quite tasty. I am pretty sure he can't choke on one but I would really have to laugh if I ever saw one in his poop. Anyway.....so I was vacuuming and usually the girls are no where to be found since they hate the noise. I saw the Hello Kitty paw but I was simply too lazy to pick it up. I knew nobody was around and they'd never know the difference. So I did it, I just ran it right over. And I almost got away with it (do you watch that show? I really like it...I know I'm weird).

Where did Medium even come from? Was she spying on me?? She screams MOOOOOMMMM, My siiiiillllyy baaaannndd!!! Seriously? It was ONE there are like 638 more all over this place! Just kidding what I really said was, "Oh my goodness, baby girl, I am so sorry that bad 'ole vacuum took your silly band!" I was rocking her and singing songs when Large comes running in with her hands over her ears (even though it was turned off) and a replacement Hello Kitty Paw stuck between her fingers. Sweet sister moment. I treasure those.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Tug of War

I have not wanted to admit this but I am very grouchy this Christmas season...maybe some of you already noticed! ;-) I know plenty of people who are usually crabby around this time of year, I will admit the hustle and bustle is not for everyone. But that usually never bothers me, I love the busy and the parties and the shopping (by far my favorite part!) and the decorating and especially the music. I try not to be over-the-top, obnoxiously happy (ahem-LIN :) however it is normally pretty hard to get me in a bad mood at Christmas. This year something is different for me and I don't like it! As I admit this to you the weight of the guilt as I say the words is so heavy I am worried I won't be able to get out of the chair I am sitting in. I have NO reason to be grumpy. I am so blessed. So so so so very lucky and blessed...and I know that, I really do. But still somehow I can't shake this feeling of constant stress and being stretched too thin. Too thin..ha ha ha wouldn't that be a nice change since my answer to stress is to eat more cookies. I have been praying about it alot and so I thought maybe to admit it out loud to millions of (or maybe just 7) people would help to get it off my chest. Sadly now I can feel you all staring at the screen and yelling, "Get with it lady! You should be thrilled about how lucky you are!!". Geez, you guys are harsh! Just kidding, lovely friends. Is is possible to feel blessed and completely stressed out at the same time? Doesn't seem like you have mastered counting your blessings if you are sweating your to-do list at the same time. My heart feels like poor Toddler Baby when Large is trying to get under Mediums skin. Her favorite trick is to grab Toddler Baby and dangle her in front of Medium until a frantic tug-of-war begins while Med screams and Large sports her sinister smile. It's awesome. Don't stop reading in order to google Toddler Baby; that is one of Medium's 'guys'. He/She (jury is out on the gender) never wears clothes and I'm pretty sure I got him at the dollar spot last Christmas. He's not an official brand; Toddler Baby, is just what Medium named him/her. Feel free to giggle. Anyway, so what do you do here at the Animal House when you are feeling blue? We like to blame Small. I know he seems so innocent but nobody was grumpy for Christmas until he came along! I tell myself I could manage everything anything until I had a third baby. Luckily for Small-man it's not really true and I wouldn't trade him for the world. Even if that means I have to be buried under a mound of unwrapped presents (the official count for how many I have had to rewrap(thanks to the girls) is 4) for the next couple days. Have a very Merry Christmas dear readers!!!!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Winter Follies

Is it even actually winter, yet? I don't think so. Lots going on here at the Animal House, we are pretty busy on a normal day so this time of year is extra crazy. Good crazy, but still crazy. You know what would really round out a nice hectic week? Stitches. Mama needs a good curve ball...or two. Losing Small might spice things up a little too. Awesome.



It was only for a second but now I know what it feels like to have the air sucked out of your lungs. I was really hoping I would get to experience that feeling at least once in my life. Not really. I was loading up the van, and Small was all bundled up in his carseat. Bear in mind that carseat + baby = about 43 pounds. So it can't be picked up and moved by a child...or can it?! I put him in the living room to the right, on the other side of the sofa. Where are the girls at this time, you ask? Not sure, playing, singing, plotting a terrorist attack....it's anyone's guess. They should be getting their coats on waiting patiently for me to load the van. Anyway, I come back in from taking stuff to the van and I look to the right of the sofa....no Small. *GASP* All is quiet, I hear nothing except maybe some faint giggling. I take three steps into the living room and peak around into the kitchen when I hear a little whimper. I whip around and look down the hall (to the left of the front entrance) and there is my poor sweet Small parked in front of his bedroom door. This next part really needs an illustration or some hand motions so bear with me. Picture an infant carrier in your mind. It's shaped like a C that lays on it's back, right? Well imagine how sad Small might be if he were sitting in his seat as if he was halfway thru riding the Battering Ram at Kings Dominion. If the C were lying on it's back, that's normal but turn the C upside down and that was Small. Not face down but with his fanny and legs up in the air. HOW did he get there, you are wondering? The world may never know. But for now, he is safe and I can breathe again.



So I go to school for Large's Christmas party on Wed and Medium's sweet teacher Ms. Z knocks on the door saying, "I think you need to take a look at this." Oh no, that is never good. I can see a very bloody band-aid on her chin. "I felled at school, Mommy!" Medium tells me. She doesn't look fazed in the least. I check out her sweet little fat chin and it does have a nice little split in it. She goes off to finish music time while I gather up all their things and figure out my next move. My pediatrician does not do stitches or glue so I say to myself Patient First or St Mary's Peds ER? I know you are probably all screaming at the computer "Peds ER!!!!". Too bad you weren't there. It is 11:30am now. I have to go to work, I have to leave my house at 2:10. My bosses are very understanding people but the bottom line is if I don't go to work I don't get paid. C'mon people, it's Christmas!!! So I call Patient First and say, can you handle a 2 1/2 year old who needs stitches, really? REALLY? And the very nice nurse assures me that they can. So I go on over to PF instead of skipping out on work and going to the er or KidMed (a kiddie version of pf that is farther away and does not open until 3pm--drat). I have a real hesitation about this decision but I am trying not to be the spastic mother that I normally am. While I am on the subject of bad decisions...I do not stop to get them any lunch. THANK HEAVENS Small was already at home with my Dad ('cause I was going to the class party). I'll skip over the waiting room adventure and the emergency snack delivery (thanks so much AJ). The tech who got us settled in seemed ok, he was good with the girls. Medium is not particularly skittish unless there are animals involved or she just decides to be. I thought Large might freak a little but he distracted her with a My Little Pony coloring book. They don't do glue at pf so I was little nervous/leery/sad about that but I soldiered on. They numbed Med's chin (with a gel not a shot thankfully) and she is hanging in there no problem until two things happened: they told her she had to stop eating her 'printzels' (aka- pretzels) and the 'Dr' covered her face with a drape. There was a hole cut out for her chin...I guess she needed a sterile field? So Medium is screaming and crying "I can't see, I can't see!!!". The doc keeps saying (in her heavy middle eastern accent) "Stop crying, be still..... stop crying, be still" I'm starting to think...this is not going to be good. Until finally I say 'she's 2, she probably won't stop crying or be still'. So she goes to make the first stitch and her hand are SHAKING!!! Not just a little tremble, I mean like a full on shake. I wanted to scream STOOOOOPPP, and run right out of there. But a little part of me is still saying 'your just being spastic...everything will be fine!'. So instead of running I held my baby girl as tight as I could and I prayed. 3 stitches later we were all still in one piece (technically 4 stitches because the good doctor had to redo the first one). That was painful for my heart. I am not sure about that numbing gel but I know my baby SCREAMED every time that fish hook thingy went in. They take off the drape, Medium recovers and on the way out the Dr says, "Come back on Mon so I can take out the stitches." Yeah, sure lady, count on it. I am sure most of you have been there before I guess Meds is just getting me ready for what Small has in store for me. Wish me luck!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Clark W. Griswold

Ok. so if you know me at all you will know that I am a nut when it comes to Christmas. From the music... and not that ol stuff they play on lite 98.... no no no, the good stuff from Frank, Dean, Sammy, Harry, THAT stuff... good Christmas music. I tend to play Christmas music all month long. I love the parties, the socializing, the presents and play Christmas movies all month long, usually it is National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Sadly I know every line in the movie.... ok well the good lines, from either Clark, or Cousin Eddie. And I promise you... Holly, no matter what she says... LOVES IT. And lastly, if you were to drive by my house anytime between know and the first of the year you will see my house lit up like a redneck Vegas on crack. I take pride in how tacky, redneck and undone my house looks for this one month of the year. Each year my family will chip in and buy some new fixture for my house or yard. This year however I have gone and changed it up... I have made my new fixture. I would suggest you ride by and check it out, that is the only way you will get the full effect.


However Christmas is not just for awesome music, lights, eggnog, presents and the drunk uncle at every party. There is so much more to it. Lets be honest, between family, friends, and GOD, we have so much to be thankful for. Whether you are sitting high atop Church Hill in your million dollar mansion or you are sitting low in a bench in a park on a cold night, you have GOD, and what more could you want. I know that is so easy for me to say sitting in my warm house, with 3 wonderful kids and a GORGEOUS (brownie points) wife, but no matter where you are or your circumstances, there is God. And no matter how big the present, how much you drink or how loud you get. THAT is what you need to be thankful for, for without him, we would not have the lights, the music, the eggnog, the drunkel (adj. meaning drunk uncle), or a warm home to sit in with watching that famous, awe inspiring National Lampoons Christmas Vacation Movie.




Enjoy the movie clip and photos from my house......







































































Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Things That Are Making Me Smile Right Now

1. Lin put up some of our Christmas lights and yard decorations this weekend and Medium is scared of the blow-up Santa and snowman. Every time I open the front door she says things like, "He not gonna come in here is he Momma??". It's a little sad...but funny too! ;-) I think we might need to call them the chickens instead of the penguins, they are scared of EVERYTHING (that part is not making me smile!!).
2. The BEST day of the year is coming up in just a few days!!!!!!!
3. It's 6:45pm and all the penguins/chickens are in bed.
4. I might have the sweetest. husband. ever. and perhaps the funniest (he has a new boyfriend). If you'd like to read a blog post about that let me know. ;-)
5. Large needs Medium to hold her hand every time I dry her (Large's) hair with the hairdryer. She's afraid of the hair dryer. When I said they are scared of everything, it's no joke; but to see Large turning to Medium for comfort makes my heart happy. From the cradle to the grave, people!!!
6. My small group, I love those cats!
7. Raising Hope. No Lin and I do not have a new baby!!! Raising Hope is a tv show that comes on Fox after Glee. It's funny, you should check it out at 9pm on Tuesdays.
8. Music. All music, any music. The songs on the radio, the Christmas songs I heard in wal-mart yesterday, the songs my kids sing, even the songs on Glee....they all make me smile.
9. My God and all the amazing work that I see He is doing everyday.
10. Sweating two days before Thanksgiving. I know it's unnatural and all that blah blah blah but the bottom line is I like warm weather and being able to let the babies play on the playground for 3 hours in short sleeves is fabulous (even if it is November)!
11. Tomorrow is going to be a good day and I am looking forward to it.

Happy Turkey Day my sweet readers!! Be Thankful!!
~ Holly

Friday, November 19, 2010

Freaky Friday Random Thoughts

It's been a while since I've written a random thoughts post.....they are my favorite posts to write, I think. :-)

1. So remember I got a fancy new phone a while back? Well now I have UNLIMITED texting!! Yes that's right I said unlimited; I am super excited about it. I know that is lame but I don't care.
2. Yes We Have No Bananas! That's because Medium keeps eating them all. When did she become obsessed with bananas? IDK (he he) but she will sneak them anytime you are not paying attention. Now, of all the crazy things that happen here at the Animal House eating 4 bananas in one day is not really that big of a deal....I guess.
3. Had to take sweet Large to the Dr yesterday and this was the report: ear infection, sinus infection, bronchitis and strep throat. DO WHAT? And if you are wondering yes we did bathe her in germs. We like to keep it interesting around here.
4. Would anyone care if I slept for 4 days straight? I am crazy tired today!
5. Small is getting even cuter (is that even possible?). He has started clapping his hands and it is adorable. He can also say 'bye-bye' , 'Large (he says her actual name!)' , 'ma-ma' and 'da-da'. Genius. My other favorite thing he does is scream and cry like crazy and then when you pick him up he stops immediately. Charming. Have you seen the commercial where the baby does that?
6. Any job where I can get paid while writing a blog post is pretty awesome.
7. The BEST day of the year is right around the corner, people!!!! I look forward to black friday all year long. It's my fave. Shopping, time with my girls, good deals....doesn't get much better than that!!
8. Terrible news-- the cookie dough did not come in and it won't be here until after Thanksgiving!! What will I bring to all those family gatherings? Maybe they'll take a penguin instead of cookies. In case you didn't know I have been selling cookie dough as a school fundraiser and even (got) volunteered to help with tallying....12 hours of my life I will never get back!!

Hope you have a great weekend, dear readers!!!!!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

FEAR

Holly, myself and our small group and PCC have been talking about the book called "Wild Goose Chase". Wild Goose Chase is a book about the cages we put ourselves in throughout or lives that prevent us from chasing the Holy Spirit. The Celtics referred to the Holy Spirit as the "Wild Goose" thousands of years ago.
So in the last 6 weeks I have come to realize maybe I have more than one cage that I am in, and last night I found out that fear was one of them. I am outa town alot for work, sit in restaurants alone alot. Every so often I will end up sitting next to someone and striking up a conversation on occasion. Last night I met a very intriguing gentleman named Gene. Gene and I talked for about 30 to 40 mins about everything from grand kids (which he has) to sports, business and religion. It was tough to here Gene over the loud music that these places have decided to play blasting your ears out while your trying to eat... sheesh..... but I got alot from the conversation, there was alot of smiling, laughing and some silence. But at the end of the conversation, I paid my bill, turned to Gene, shook his hand, smiled and told him that it has been a pleasure talking with him. And without even thinking, I said something that I never ever thought would come from my mouth in a non church environment. "Gene, before I leave, is there anything that I can pray about for you tonight?" Gene's face lit up, smiled and said "yes, actually there is, My wife had a stroke, before the stroke she was the smarter of the two of us. Now, since the stroke she has a tough time with everyday things, she has a tough time dealing with things when I am out on the road. I am lucky enough that we have neighbors that help alot, but if you could pray for her health and safety that would be great."
Without even thinking, I stepped out of my cage, no fear. At least for that moment in time. And it felt great. I get a rush when I mountain bike race, or when I would score a goal in soccer... but nothing like how I felt as I walked out of that restaurant last night...

Thank you God.....