Still Seeking Sanity

Life in 3D

2013-04-15T22:00:00.001-07:00

It's amazing where this blogging journey has taken me. I know, I don't blog much anymore, and I know that I keep saying I plan to do better but I never end up consistently posting. Well, for the three of you who are left, thank you. Thanks for sticking it out, and thanks for reading.

Almost three years ago, I posted this story about a dream I had about the author of a blog I just love, Sarah Valente. It was crazy, and rather than just messaging her saying, "Hey I know you don't know me, but I had this crazy dream about you," (which would sound rather stalker-y,) I decided to blog about it publicly (because clearly, that is the much less stalker-y option. Clearly.) Well, she wanted to see where the traffic was coming from and read my post and (thankfully) thought it was hilarious. Bloggers can appreciate the public posting of private matters, and she wasn't offended (or freaked out)in the least. A bloggy-friendship was born, which turned into a facebook friendship, which turned into a secret corner of the Internet where a little group of bloggy and facebook friends gathered to lift each other up, to pray together, to study His word together, and to giggle and just be us. I know it sounds nuts, but I developed some of the most incredible and meaningful friendships with these women whom I had never met in person through the Internet.

Yeah, I'd say it was crazy, too.

The thing is, when you build a relationship based on Christ, it's real. It's meaningful. And it's awesome.

So where is this going, you ask?

Well, last weekend it went to Colorado Springs.

From left to right: Beth, myself, Cindy of Over Koffee, Christi, Renee of Mi Querida Familia, and of course, Sarah of Kingdom Twindom, shiny hair and all.

We were missing a few, including Ellyn of Profoundly Seth and Ashley of Adventures in Twinderland, who couldn't make the trip.

Yes, I might be shamelessly name-dropping. But these are my peeps, yo. And I couldn't be more proud to be a part of this group.

We sat in Renee's house, and we chatted and laughed and drank wine (but not too much) and studies the Bible and worshiped the One who created us and brought us all together. It was fantastic. I loved every minute and I can't wait to see these amazing ladies again. It has been said that "if you show me who your friends are, I'll tell you who you are." Well, I really feel like I am totally unworthy of being included in this amazing group of women, but I'll take it. Go ahead, read their blogs. They are awesome. And besides, it'll fill the time till I blog again. ;)

Time

2012-10-16T14:45:00.001-07:00

Where does the time go? The time since the kids were little, since summer was here, since I last blogged. Life is busy and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

All the kids are in school. Yup, you heard that right, ALL of them. Emma is in third grade, the twins started Kindergarten, and Drew is officially a preschooler. Yes, Drew who is seven months old in the sidebar picture because I haven't taken the time to update them in three years. Although the pics on the blog are the same age as the most recent pics of my kids on the walls in my living room, so at least I am an equal-opportunity picture ignore-er. If the doctor's children are sick, and the shoemaker's kids go barefoot; I guess it makes sense that the photographer's kids get their pics taken often but they never make it out of the computer and up on the wall. Well, maybe they do at first. Just not after four kids.

My days have been filled with the normal everyday stuff that fills the days of a mom of four. I really thought that this "everyone in school" thing would free up my days, but I think I am busier than ever. Also, with Drew being here and no other children to entertain him, it has been challenging as there are no other children to tattle on him as he is trying to dance on the bathroom counter/climb the bookcase again/teach the cat gymnastics. OK, I don't think the cat would put up with being taught gymnastics. He's a feisty cat, which is a necessary skill for being an animal in this family.

Also, Drew is a talker. And when I say he is a talker, I mean that I have been working on getting him to understand that you have to stop and take a breath while you are talking, and that you cannot just continue talking while you are breathing in. No one can understand you that way, and it makes you dizzy. And drives Mama batty. And there isn't enough chocolate in the world to deal with that for six hours straight.

And I know all of you dear blog followers are just so excited because you have just missed reading a whole slew of sentenced that start with "and". You are welcome.

Ungrateful and Grateful

2012-08-28T11:54:00.001-07:00

It's been a year since I went to Africa. I can't believe it. The team went again this year, and I was not a part of it. I wanted to be, but God said to wait. I will say that the time the team was gone was a rough two weeks for me. I sat and watched as team members posted pictures on facebook of the sweet children that I got to love on last year, and the school that we were at and the slum that we walked through and experienced, and the very same park that we had brought the very same kids to, and I missed it all. I wanted to be crammed in a bus packed with children so tight that you couldn't move and you didn't know if that puddle on your lap was sweat form being pressed in with seven children on your lap or of you had been peed on, and there was no room to check. I wanted hear their little voices sing their little hearts out and smell the stench of rotting, burning garbage on the streets as we rumbled down pothole-filled streets, jostling and bumping for miles.

I stood in my bathroom and looked at my shiny, clean toilet. The toilet that I was so grateful for when I got home last year, the toilet with a seat and water that ran through it and that wasn't just a hole in the ground to hover over. And I was not grateful for my toilet like I had been, because I wanted nothing other than to pee in a hole while swatting flies and holding my breath with all my might because the stench was so strong.

I wanted that. I wanted to be uncomfortable and hot and sweaty as the children pressed in and to be constantly using hand sanitizer for fear of e-coli and typhoid and a host of other things carried on the children's filthy hands. Hands that I held, and loved, and caressed with all my might for such a short time. Hands that played in my hair, braiding and smoothing; hands that pressed into my white skin, amazed that it changed color with pressure. Fingers that fiddled with the rough skin on my elbows, fascinated for some reason. I miss it so much my heart hurts a physical pain in my chest and I want to go back.

And I laid in my bed and I sobbed. I sobbed with ungratefulness for my soft bed and my warm sheets and my house and my green yard. I cried out with the pain of heartache of missing these people, these lives that I experienced for such a short time but had such a profound impact on my entire being. I left a huge part of my heart in Africa, and my heart ached with the separation and I wanted to be there to feel whole again.

But God had told me to to wait. I had argued Him for a while, back in January when we had signed up for the trip, excited to go back, but whenever God and I disagree, He is always right. So I waited. My husband and I hope to go next year, if it is God's will. Oh, how I hope it is God's will, because if I don't go back I might explode. I want to see those kids, and love on those amazing people who have absolutely nothing that America deems of value but who have joy and contentment like I have never seen in this country because they know that stuff doesn't matter. The faith of those people is amazing, and my heart longs to be a part of that circle of faith again, even for a short time. Where the name of Jesus is intertwined into everyday conversation in the most natural way, because they know that they only have life and breath because of Him. I am tired of being afraid, afraid in a land where the name of our savior is spoken hesitantly to see if it will cause offense. To see if we will be labeled as a freak. Where we value a life of blending in and being "normal". I don't want to be normal.

Because we live in a society where Self is valued above all else, and I want to go back to where God is valued because I know that God is so much greater then Self. I hear people talk in words that whisper little nudgings that Self is the most important, that we "deserve" this or that reward or break or purchase because we need to put our own needs first and I just want to scream and to go back and to love on some people who teach me so much more than I cousd ever bring to them with all the money in the world. Because I know that what I deserve, and I know that what I deserve is not what I will get, because He died for me to make sure I don't have to feel the burn of the consequences of my choices. He saved me. He died for me. He is the most important.

I am grateful for my house, and I am grateful for my money, and I am grateful for my toilet. I am grateful that my children will not die of preventable disease or starvation. I am grateful and I am humbled and I am thankful that He chose to give this life to me. I also know that to whom much is given, much is required, an now that I have seen the difference in what I have been given I know I need to act. Much is required of me, and it is not to go to the mall because I "deserve it". It is to live to serve, and I'm still figuring out what that looks like, even a year later. But it will come, small stirrings in my heart to lead me down God's path for my life.

And I can't wait to see what He does.

Things We Have Learned, Camping Edition

2012-05-29T14:17:00.001-07:00

1. Our families are awesome. That isn't something new that we learned, but rather something that we are constantly reminded of every time we all get together.

2. If you forget your camera on a camping trip, it's good to be related to someone like Holly who always brings hers everywhere. That way, you can lift pics off of her Facebook page and make a blog post. (Thanks, Holly!)

3. Our crew has finally reached the age where we can let them hang out at the campfire without constantly being within arm's reach. Hallelujah!!

4. Emma loves a good grandpa snuggle...

...and a good baby cousin snuggle...

...and another good grandpa snuggle, along with having her hair braided by Papa.

5. My mom can still skip rocks with the best of 'em. She has always been the most incredible rock-skipper I have ever known.

6. When you don't want to walk across the cold river, if you look at your older cousin Nate with big, adorable eyes, he might take pity on you can carry you across. You might lose your shorts in the process, but it's a small price to pay.

7. Mud is awesome. However, if you get yourself covered in mud because the river is too cold to play in, you will be dunked in the river anyway to get washed off. You will probably scream. Your dad probably will do it anyway.

8. Great Grandmas make good drinking buddies. They will share straws with you and clink your cup in cheers before every sip. Even if you feel the need to drink two or three cups full of lemonade in order to cheers with Great Grandma a whole lot of times.

9. Drew has no shame, and will pee on a tree in the open in front of everyone after a couple of cups full of lemonade.

10. Drew will actually run, buck naked, out of the motor home to go pee on a tree at the opposite side of camp, and will sing a little "I'm a nakey boy!" song as he proudly struts his way across the open camp in front of the entire family.

11. Camping in someone's field instead of a campground is the best choice for our family. Definitely the best choice.

12. Camping in someone's field that is actually used as an airstrip is a wonderful way to entertain the kids. However, screaming, "Get off the field, a plane's coming in to land!" probably isn't something most parents yell to their kids during an average camping adventure.

13. Papa Wayne is the best deep-fryer around. And family potluck deep fry night is still a favorite annual tradition.

14. Deep fried onion rings look absolutely amazing after you find out you have to be gluten-free and can't eat them. Even if you've never liked onion rings before.

15. Butterfly nets are not just for catching butterflies. Sometimes they are for catching Aunties...

...and sometimes they are for catching Jack Jacks!

16. Camping on the mountain provides great kite-flying winds.

17. Riding your bike while trying to fly a kite from the dollar store only works till the kite string gets wrapped around the bike axle. The kite won't make it.

18. If you ask a five year old boy to "show me your cute face!" This is what you get. And I have to say, it's a cute face!

19. My hubby is a rock star and can run five miles in the rain, over rough terrain, through the mud and muck. Oh, and Wayne and Heather aren't too shabby, either!

20. Jack Jack even looks adorable in time-out.

And what was he in time out for, you ask? Well, that brings us to our biggest and most important Thing We have Learned, which is...

21. Our borrowed motor home can be put into neutral by a three year old without the keys in the ignition or a foot on the brake. And it will roll off the blocks and go backwards about four feet.

22. Emergency brakes in motor homes are a really good idea.

(No one was hurt during the making of these memories. By the grace of God, the older kids had stopped playing hide and seek under the motor home about ten minutes before Jack Jack drove the motor home. We are very, very thankful to God for watching out for our family!)

The Least of These

2012-05-01T12:49:00.001-07:00

Spring has officially sprung here in the Pacific Northwest, and with that comes not only longer days and pretty flowers, but also the affects of those longer days and sunshine. Namely, the ability to actually see the grime and gunk and algae that built up everywhere over the winter.

So, last week I hauled out the old pressure washer and got to work on the walkways and patio. Every spring, I think "oh, this isn't too bad this year, maybe I'll just skip it this time," but I do it anyway and am always amazed at the difference.

I have to say, the actual act of pressure washing is relaxing. I love the monotony, the sound that drowns out everything else around me, and the chance to be alone with my thoughts for a while. This year was a little different, though. This year I had the chance to be alone with my thought while watching gallons and gallons of clean, pure water clean my sidewalk.

Yes, that is the same way I have pressure washed before. But it's different now.

Let me back up a bit. Back in August, one of the things we did on our trip to Africa was stay at the YWAM (Youth With a Mission) base in Arusha, Tanzania. We were there for the dedication of the Tumaini house, an orphanage that our church helped build; as well as a baptism of many of the Maasai people, including the chief of the Maasai tribe. It was incredible, but that is a story for another day.

The particular situation I was brought back to when I was pressure washing was a time when we were relaxing. Papa Cho, who ran the YWAM base also had built the New Vision school as a way to educate some of the local children.

New Vision School Arusha, Tanzania

To make a long story short, a man from Bellingham, Washington went to Tanzania and found street children playing with a soccer ball made of plastic grocery bags, and decided to make a difference. New Vision Soccer was born as a ministry to the street boys of the area, and they built a full-sized, regulation soccer field and started the New Vision soccer organization.

We went to watch this team of amazing boys play, and they played a game against some of the members of our missions team.

Some of our team from Christ the King Church played against these boys, and the rest of us sat and watched while the neighborhood kids swarmed us.

As was the case most of the time, the kids were thrilled with the chance to get their picture taken, and see their image in the back of the camera.

This is Adrain, hubby to the superbly awesome Lemonade Makin' Mama.

We sat with these kids, playing games, singing songs, and having a great time.

The kids were fabulous, as all the kids in Africa were. Happy and joyful and just amazing. However, they were thirsty, and we all had out bottles of water that we brought everywhere. That was the hardest part. We couldn't share our water, as we wouldn't have enough to go around and it wouldn't be wise anyway. Many of these kids were sick, and tuberculosis was common. Sharing water wouldn't help the kids, it would just spread disease.

The water they had was scarce. A large reservoir filled with water was available for people to fill up jugs for their family, for a price. Considering the average family lives on less than a dollar a day, the cost of water is high so it isn't something families have a lot of.

That which is available isn't of great quality, the kids' teeth are stained from what is in the water.

Here we were, surrounded by thirsty children. And we had clean, pure water.

Matthew 25: 34-40
³⁴“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

These are the least of these. They were thirsty, and we could do nothing.

I stood on my patio, spraying pure, clean water to do nothing more than remove dirt and make it look pretty, and thought of these children and cried. It still haunts me, that time where we sat with the least of these and weren't able to give them a drink. I do know that we really couldn't have helped them, sharing our water would have brought them relief for a moment, but possibly have spread disease that would last. In an area that couldn't afford medical care, that would be devastating.

It was hard. It is still hard, on days when the gas line at Costco is long, or someone is rude at the grocery store, or when our power goes out for a few hours. It is hard to be frustrated in my selfish American way, and then the memories come back and humility sets in.

We live in an area that has so much, that some of our biggest inconveniences are waiting behind other wealthy people to buy whatever we want.

I am humbled.

There was one little sweetheart in particular who touched me. I never got her name, and I don't even know for sure if it was a girl or a boy, but the painted toenails make me think it was a girl. She crawled up in my lap and cuddled close. Some of these children are orphans, some live with grandparents or relatives or are passed from relative to relative as none of their family has enough money to raise them on their own. Some live on the streets, where survival means following anyone who will feed you, so gangs and violence are common.

Safety is rare. Security is hard to come by.

This little sweetie crawled up in my lap and within minutes, was sound asleep. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the noise of the other children, the soccer game, and the rest of our team singing and dancing, she found security in my arms, even if only for a short while.

We didn't speak the same language, but some conversations don't require words. So I held her. I held her as my arms started to ache and fall asleep, not moving at all for fear of waking her. I held her till the game was almost over, and her sister came and got her to take her back home, wherever that was.

I sprayed my patio, listening to the sound of the pressure washer and the rhythm of the sprayer cleaning off the concrete. I remembered holding her, and although I couldn't give her what was obvious (water) I was able to give her something else. I wonder if she remembers me at all, or if this was just another day in her difficult life. I do know that I will never forget her.

And I will never look at pressure washing the same way again.

Be sure to visit New Vision Soccer's website here, and "like" them on Facebook. This is an amazing organization bringing hope to children who have none.

Here's a link to a video New Vision made from the trip in August 2011:

Surprises

2012-03-29T17:22:00.001-07:00

It has been a DAY.

A day of tattling, whining, tattling, yelling, tattling, complaining, and tattling. My eye is twitching and even the cat has figured out that leaving me alone is really the safest option right now. This is not one of those days filled with joy and wonder of life viewed through the eyes of children, I am just ready for them to go to bed.

I was in the kitchen making dinner, when I heard a bicker starting. I firmly believe that parents who involve themselves in every sibling spat are setting their children up to never be able to resolve conflict on their own, so I kept chopping chicken and waited to hear the inevitable escalation. When Emma came into the kitchen and started with the "Mooom?!?" I took a deep breath before I answered her.

Exhale. Three hours till bedtime. I can do this. "Yes, dear?"

"Mom, could you encourage Grant a little? He's drawing a lollipop and he doesn't think he is doing a great job, but he is doing really well. Do you think you could give him some encouragement so he will feel better about his drawing?"

The concern in her voice sucked the remaining air out of my lungs, and I looked at her in awe.

Mama heart swoon.

It is nice to have those little reminders every once in a while, amidst the challenges of four kids and the fighting that goes with that, that they really and truly do care about each other.

Ben tried some encouragement of his own, "Gwant, that really is a good drawing. You are still a good draw-er, even if you are not as good as me!"

OK, it's still a work in progress.

Blissful Freedom

2012-03-27T10:38:00.002-07:00

Alrighty folks, it's official.

After close to eight years straight,

thousands of dollars spent,

countless hours and hours of my life,

many, many, MANY accidents involving bodily fluids on my legs and feet,

I don't even want to know what we did to the landfills of our country,

I have finally

officially

changed the very last diaper I will ever change on one of my children.

That's right,

Jack Jack is potty trained.

(and the heavens open, the angels sing, and the Great Beam of Light comes down, basking me with Glory and Peace and a much nicer smelling house)

I had all these plans for this time, rolling around in the buckets of money we would save, re-decorating my house with the extra time on my hands, and being filled with so much awesome at the new stage we have finally reached in our family. Instead, all the kids are going through a growth spurt at the same time, so all my buckets of money are going to food (seriously, one breakfast recently was two dozen eggs, a whole pineapple, a double batch of pancakes, and a whole package of bacon; and that was just the kids, Marty and I didn't eat,) which just leads to even more trips to Costco with one more boy who pees.

Still.

Angel choir.

Even the Government Knows About Our Crazy

2012-03-19T12:36:00.001-07:00

I was recently having a conversation with my friend Kristen and we were talking about the square footage of our houses. Now, our house is small for America's standard for housing six people, but we make do. I thought our house was 1,300 square feet, but then Kristen said her house was 1,300 square feet, but her house has two living areas, and I just know it's bigger than mine. So I went on a hunt to see what the square footage of our house really is. Not that it matters, but I was curious.

Yes, this is sounding like a really boring blog post. But keep reading, it gets better.

Being that we live in an older double-wide mobile home, it's a perfect rectangle and measuring was easy. I measured the inside of the house, and included the walls and came up with 1,102 square feet. Marty said that was wrong because I needed to measure from the outside, but I don't think there is any way that I missed a whole 200 square feet just in the exterior walls. So I hit up the county assessor's website and checked, and it said our house was 1,323 square feet. I looked up Kristen's house and according to the assessor, the square footage is identical to ours at 1,323 square feet.

It is really weird that it's the exact same number, right?. Let's focus on that weirdage and not the fact that I actually looked up a friend's house on the assessor's website, m'kay?

I went back to the assessor's page for our house, and out of curiosity, clicked some of the other tabs. Didja know that there's tons of info available for every house on that site? It's really interesting. I looked under the "Property Image" tab, and was surprised to find a recent picture of our house, it looks like it was taken last spring or summer. The van is there, so we were home. I'm going to ignore the fact that somehow I didn't notice someone photographing our house. You can't tell from the picture, but the entire driveway area is fully fenced as well, so there's no way someone could just do a drive-by-picture. They actually entered our property and I didn't notice. Maybe I was busy cleaning up pee.

I was happy to see that amazingly, the flowerbeds looked pretty recently weeded and the sidewalk was relatively clear of toys and bikes. Of course, there is the ever-present grass growing in the driveway, but whatever. I like our house. It has very cute curb-appeal for being a 23 year old mobile home, don'tchathink?

Then I looked a bit closer. If you click on the picture, you can enlarge it a little and see what I saw.

Do you see it?

Imagine my shock and laughter that erupted so loudly that everyone came running when I discovered that the county assessor's website has a picture of my cute little house, all sunny and cheery and looking adorable.

With Drew standing in the windowsill.

Topless.

Not only do I have this blog to document the challenges of raising this spirited child, now the government has photographic evidence as well.

Only my child.

Today in a Nutshell

2012-03-16T17:24:00.001-07:00

Today was typical, but different in that I intentionally wrote things down that were funny and/or cute so I could blog them. Here is today, in a nutshell.

This morning, in the mad rush to get Emma out the door and to the bus, I found Drew (a.k.a Jack Jack) who had made little steps out of his dresser drawers, teetering at the top trying to reach his backpack. While I am used to his antics, the memory of climbing my own dresser as a child and having it fall and being trapped underneath came rushing back. ~~Luckily~~ Purposefully, their dresser is long and wide instead of tall, so the danger of it tipping was quite minimal. But still. It's like he wants to go to the hospital again.

In true Jack Jack style, each of the four steps was perfectly spaced out from each other in an even, symmetrical stair-step pattern. He's like an OCD Evel Kenevil.

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Overheard this morning at the breakfast table:

Ben: "You're grumpy, Grant."

Grant: (yelling) "NO I'M NOT!!"

Ben: "I found grumpy eyebrows on you."

Grant: (scowling) "When I'm done eating I'm gonna tackle you."

I almost choked trying not to laugh. Ah, the joy of five year old twins. I do have to say, I'm really proud that they are using their words.

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Emma was perusing her baby book this morning. Her lovely, wonderfully scrapbooked album of memories, perfectly preserved and kept right next to the twins' empty scrapbooks, which still have the cellophane wrapped around them. Those are right next to the empty space that Drew's scrapbook might someday go if I ever buy one and/or get photos printed from his first year of life. Ahh, the progression of having four kids in four years.

Anywhoo, Emma was looking through the pictures, and exclaimed, "Oh, here's one of me crying with Daddy!" I lovingly responded, like the best mothers do, "he's probably picking on you." She came back with, "let me see here. Yup! he IS picking on me!"

Photographic evidence that the need for us to save for our kids' future therapy started really early.

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We went to Costco. Yeah. My lovely husband met me on his lunch break, and we had a hot date with Costco hot dogs and a cart full of little boys. We got what we needed and as soon as we hit the checkout, Jack Jack predictably announced that he had to go potty, which set off a long string of boys exclaiming their need to pee. Marty innocently asked, "do you want to take them?" to which I replied, "no way, Jose. I don't want to take them to the bathroom, are you nuts?"

So he offered. And as he was taking the kids out of the cart, he said, "now there is one rule. Don't pee on each other, OK?" The man in line in front of us laughed, and commented, "that's a good rule right there." I responded, ~~"dude, if you only knew"~~ "well, we haven't always had the best of luck in this place."

Marty took them potty. I didn't ask how it went, but everyone seemed in good spirits and not reeking of urine when they came out of the bathroom, so I'll call it a successful Costco bathroom trip.

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We picked Emma up from the bus, and headed straight out to get some groceries. On the way, I asked her, "How was your day today?" She responded quickly, almost like she was out of breath even starting. "Well, it was a good day, but I got my feelings hurt at last recess because a boy in Kindergarten made a sand castle at first recess, and by second recess it was gone, but I was building a big sand castle and he thought that I messed up his castle, but I didn't do anything, it was gone when I started building. But I built the biggest, most beautiful sand castle ever, and I went to go get some rocks to decorate it and he stomped all over it and wrecked it." Her voice wavered, and her eyes filled with unshed tears. I immediately responded, "oh, baby! I am so sorry, that would hurt my feelings, too." The twins were listening from the back of the van, and commiserated with her, Grant saying, "that's not fair, he shouldn't wreck your project!" Ben, calmly in his little-Ben way, said, "Emma, when I go to Kindergarten next year, you show me who he is, and I'll have a talk with him."

And this Mama grinned from ear to ear all the way to the Green Barn.

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In another conversation, Grant asked for something at the Green Barn. The Green Barn is our local produce stand, it's awesome and fantastic and we love it. Anywhoo, Grant wanted "that thingy that I don't remember. But it's like Brussels Sprouts, but all scrunched up like leaves hooked together." I was intrigued. After carefully searching the Green Barn, he realized what he was wanting Savoy Cabbage, so we bought one. Now I have to figure out what to make with it in the next few days.

Menu planning by the whims of children is a common thing around here, as long as the whims of the children include veggies.

Blogging and facebook

2012-02-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: OK, the word is slipped, not spilled. It was TOTALLY a contest to see who caught my typo, congrats to Shari! I mean, I would NEVER just completely replace a word with the wrong word, re-read it twice and not notice; it was obviously intentional and I am grateful that Shari figured it out! Grammar police, I am NOT holding a contest to count how many times I start a sentence with "and" or "but" or end with a preposition. Those I don't care about at all, and I'm going to pretend that's part of my charm. ;)

Original post, edited to fix the typo that Shari won the contest for:

I decided to give up facebook for lent. I know, for some it's not a real sacrifice, but for me, facebook was quickly becoming too much of a focus during the day. I could just hop on and read what people were up to, make a few comments and likes and then get up and get to work, but I was finding that I was just hopping on for a quick couple of minutes several times an hour. I would finish the dishes and one of the boys would want me to read him a story and I would tell him, "Sure, buddy, right after I check something on the computer really quick." Putting my children off for facebook is never a good thing. Having your focus on something that was not God or family is never a good thing either.

I wanted some time to get away from the draw of it all, and lent seemed like the perfect time to do it. I could take the time to re-adjust my focus and have the kids and my Bible become my first priority, have those things be what draws me after I finish the dishes after lunch. So far, it's going well.

Well, kind of.

I didn't realize how much I relied on the comments that would come after I posted something funny that the kids did. That is quite often my only interaction with grownups besides my husband, and I miss it. Quite often, something will happen, and I've already started mentally writing the facebook post in my head before it catches up to me that I won't be posting. That part is tough. I miss the comments, the back and forth that comes from an online chat with friends that can happen while the kids are screaming and I haven't showered.

And seriously, y'all, I actually slipped on a banana peel yesterday. For reals. I honestly didn't think that was actually possible, but I did it. The heel of my shoe landed on the edge of a peel that was right next to the garbage can (thank you, small children) and my heel went skidding forward and I tensed my leg in that way you do to try to keep from doing the splits, and I pulled my groin muscle just a little bit but enough that it hurt for the rest of the day.

It was a banana-peel injury. A banana-peeljury. A banajury.

Clearly, I need to get out more.

Anywhoo, since Ash Wednesday, my house has been cleaner, I have started three or four new projects (but not finished any of them, because some things never change) and I have spent more time in the Bible. Those are good things. Well, the primed-but-not-painted laundry room is half of a good thing, but it will be a good thing when I am done. Until then, the laundry is just lined up against the hallway and is slowly creeping into the living room. But to be honest, just the dull, flat primer covering the totally rad late-eighties printed wallboard is a huge improvement, even with the blue painter's tape and the fact that we can't put the laundry hamper in there.

I will try to blog more often, but I kind of have this mental block that facebook statuses can be short but blog posts have to be long. I never used to be that way, and I'm going to try to get over it. I need to blog about things other than getting peed on at Costco, because while those posts do great things for my blog traffic, I hope to never have to post another one of those again. Sorry, folks, I like to be here for your entertainment, but a girl's gotta draw the line somewhere.

It's called boundaries, people.

(Although I did offer to get peed on for a dear friend recently who was having a bad day. I am willing to make sacrifices for those I care deeply about. That's love.)

Clearly, I'm starting to ramble, so I'll end this before I make an even bigger fool of myself, and I'll go get some more coffee. Oh, yeah, I started drinking coffee recently! I am kind of wondering how I survived the last ten years or so without it, but I'm learning quickly. Coffee with creamer and some hot cocoa mix is fabulous, by the way.

If you wouldn't mind, could you kindly leave a comment on this post so I know you read it, and to save me from the rapidly approaching insanity? I love comments. And coffee. Thanks, you guys rock!

Costco, Revisited

2012-02-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

We went to Costco yesterday.

Not noteworthy for most people, I know. But if you have been around Still Seeking Sanity for any length of time, you know that Costco and my kids have a history.

And sometimes, even when you do your darndest to stop it, history repeats itself.

Yeah.

So my whole plan in Costco has been to avoid the bathrooms at all costs. It seemed like a reasonable plan, but I forgot the diaper bag yesterday and Drew had filled his diaper to the point that the ever-popular scrape-out-the-bulk-of-it-and-line-it-with-paper-towels backup plan wasn't an option (oh come on, you know you've done that); so he was wearing undies while we were out running errands. And as any mother of a not-quite potty-trained child knows, if the kid says he has to pee, you take him to pee.

Even if you are in Costco.

We had a chat as we walked down the hallway. It went something like this, "You will not pee on each other. At all. Got it?"

I know, that's quality parenting at it's best right there.

Ben was walking down the hallway playing with all the padlocks on the employee lockers and apparently not listening to his mother, because he missed the memo.

So into the bathroom we went. Emma into her own stall, and the boys and I in another. I like to keep them close, so I can monitor the flow, if you will.

But I only have two eyes, and there are three flows. I kept an eye on Grant, to make sure he got his pants down far enough so we wouldn't have a repeat performance. I watched Drew, who is still learning and is likely to "miss". However I didn't watch Ben, who was trying to sword-fight with his brother's, uhm, stream and decided that the best place to cross his stream with Grant's was just as it was leaving Grant's body.

So basically, in a nutshell, Ben peed on Grant's legs and pants on purpose.

Once again, I didn't know it was happening at the time. Grant started screaming as I was holding Drew up to the level he needed to be, and I didn't see it at first. Then Grant hollered, "BEN! You are peeing on my legs!" To which I said something calm, cool, and collected, something like, "Are you freaking kidding me?!? What did I say about not peeing on each other this time?!? Ben, what on earth are you thinking?!?"

And the mother of the year award goes to....

Probably not me.

Emma, who was a couple of stalls down, yelled "Seriously, they peed on each other AGAIN?!?" And I didn't even want to think about what everyone else was thinking, because like every time this happens, every stall was full.

Thankfully, it wasn't the entire bladder's full. And thankfully, Grant was wearing warm-up pants so it all wiped off pretty easily.

And I had a sudden, earth-shattering realization of how crazy my life actually is when I replied to my daughter across a full public bathroom, "Don't worry, honey, it was just a little bit of pee and it is cleaning up pretty easily. No big deal, it's not as bad as last time."

Cat vs Tooth Fairy

2012-01-26T10:44:00.000-08:00

Emma lost a tooth late last night.

It was assisted slightly by my darling husband, who has a tendency to assist children in losing loose teeth without even knowing that he is helping. What a guy.

Anywhoo, she was in bed and called out, "My tooth! I lost a tooth!!" She was so excited, and we went in to cheer with her, both of us showing our excitement and joy while wracking our brains to figure out if we had a dollar in our wallets.

After the celebration and subsequent necessary showing of the tooth to the brothers, she headed off to bed and we found a dollar, rolled it up an waited for her to fall asleep.

However, Emma sleeps with her cat. And we could hear her in her room, talking to her cat. "If I wake up and there's no tooth, and no dollar, then I know you ate the Tooth Fairy. That's not OK. Teddy, do not eat the Tooth Fairy, understand?!?"

OK, anyone who knows us knows that we couldn't just let that one go.

And hopefully, the cat learned his lesson. I mean, really. You don't ever take on Fairy Tale creatures, that's just common sense.

Here's the sweet girl, who apparently slept through the whole battle. When she woke and figured out what had happened, she saw the cat fur and Fairy Dust on her sheets next to her pillow and exclaimed, "Oh, this must be where it all started!"

On her floor, not under her pillow was a half-hazard tooth tin, a slightly ripped dollar, and a toothbrush. The Tooth Fairy must have been so tired after the fight with the cat that she couldn't bring everything back up onto the bed. I can't blame her, that was probably exhausting.

Luckily the Tooth Fairy left a note so we know she was OK. The Tooth Fairy has really small handwriting, it must be because she is so small. The note reads, "Wow, that's one tough cat! Don't worry, I got away and I'm OK. Sorry about his fur. It will grow back. Love, Tooth Fairy" The dollar was mangled and covered in Fairy Dust, and the tin held some Fairy Dust and cat fur.

Emma's new toothbrush, broken open and also covered in Fairy Dust and cat fur. Apparently, she beat him off with it. At least she's a resourceful little Fairy!

And the cat, looking mildly ticked off, missing a couple of hunks of fur, and slightly glitter-y between the eyes.


Don't ask.

Unfortunately, we will never know exactly what happened between Teddy and the Tooth Fairy, as there were no witnesses. I hope the Tooth Fairy comes back again, it seems like it was quite the battle. And I'm not sure the cat will ever be the same.

As for Emma, she seems curious and slightly baffled. I am interested in hearing her reaction when she comes home from school and has had some time to think it over. She cuddled the cat this morning, offering her sympathy for what he went through last night while gently scolding him for attacking the Tooth Fairy. He was not amused.

I just hope he doesn't try to get revenge some night when I am sleeping. I might want to start sleeping with some Fairy Dust....

Of Christmas Past

2011-12-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas is truly one of my very favorite days. I love it. I love the family, the memories, the joy and the love.

In 2009, I blogged about our Christmas, thinking it would be the last of it's kind. However, 2010 was not wrought with the pain that we expected. Christmas 2010 looked close to the same as the year before, and it was awesome.

We spent Christmas Eve with my side of our family in Seattle. The kids did great and Emma only caught her hair on fire a little bit. Then we attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service at the church I grew up in, which was a tradition in my life up until I moved up north and had a family of my own. My children behaved, and Grant fell asleep in my mom's lap, allowing me the privilege and honor of serving my mother communion as she sat with my sleeping child laying across her. The look on Emma's face in the candlelight as we all sang 'silent night' brought me to tears, it was beautiful.

These are the things that make Christmas.

The next day, we did the usual morning events and visiting Marty's mom and family, then off for a visit with Marty's Grandpa, who had cancer and wasn't expected to live much longer. The kids sang 'happy birthday, Jesus' for him, and he loved it. He asked them all their bible verses and was thrilled when Emma told him that she had accepted Jesus into her heart. It was a short visit, but very powerful.

It was the last time we saw him alive.

These are the things I want to remember, the memories I want to hold onto. These are treasures to store in the heart; not toys or presents or stockings or Santa, but Jesus.

This Christmas will look different. 2011 was hard on our circle of friends and family that we hold close, many that we love will be spending their first Christmas in heaven this year. That is fabulous for them, but painful for us. It hurts to miss those that we love, whether they have moved on to Heaven or are still here, just not quite themselves.

It looks different.

I will hold these memories close to my heart, and I will make new memories this year. At this time next year, I don't know how different it will look again. So I will take mental pictures and real pictures and spend time with those that I love. I will store these treasures in my heart to pull out again later and revisit the memories. This Christmas, I will try to love like Jesus.

As I remind my kids often, it's His birthday, not theirs. It's not about what is under the tree, it's about Who came to this world to die on a tree to save us. We are so very blessed to celebrate the birth of our Savior with family and friends, and we are so very thankful that He wants to share His birthday with us.

How will you spend your Christmas?

Of Babies and Big Boy Beds

2011-11-29T09:38:00.001-08:00

Yesterday morning at 6:14 am, my sister-in-law (and amazing boss) gave birth to her first child, my newest nephew. Welcome to the world, Justin Roy Parsons!

Let me tell you, he is a cutie. I went to the hospital for a quick visit and seeing him there, wrapped up in his mama's arms made my poor, retired uterus do a flip-flop. I'd like to think that it was because I love the newborn stage, where the sweet lil babe is so loving and dependent on Mom, there is no talking back or whining yet, and they don't run away. To be honest, though, my uterus was just protesting any ideas that might have come into my head at that moment. We are done having children of our own. But bring on the nieces and nephews!

The kids were excited, they were not able to visit the hospital, but marveled over pictures of the sweet babe. We were a bit concerned about Drew's reaction, he has been the baby of the family for close to three years now, and loves his baby status.

"Drew, thank you for doing your chores. You are such a big boy!" is usually met with a defiant, "No, I's not a big boy, I's a BABY!"

Yup. We were worried about how he would feel, being replaced.

So I showed the kids the first texted picture as they woke up in the morning, and asked them, "do you know who this baby is?" They studied the picture, faces pressed in close to each other and right up to the phone, and agreed that they didn't know. "It's your new cousin Justin! Auntie Amy had her baby this morning!" They all squealed with glee, bouncing up and down, then returning to the phone to study him again.

Emma: "Awww!"

Grant: "He's so cute!"

Drew: "He's a baby, just like ME!"

Hoo, boy.

We had quite a few talks throughout the day. Talks about what babies do and what they can't do, like talking and walking and running and rolling. What to expect from their new cousin, "Do you think you can play rough with him, or should you be very gentle?" Ben: "Gentle, because he's just a little baby and we don't want to break him!" Talks about different baby things, like volume and tickling. I want them to be prepared to be the best cousins they can be.

Throughout the course of the day, Drew seemed to get it. He wasn't a baby, he was a big boy. And he wanted to do big boy things. "Mommy, we get home, I wear big boy undies?" "When we get home, you want to put on your big boy undies and go peepee in the potty?" "Yeah!"

Well, OK then.

--Fast forward to after dinner.--

The rest of the evening was chaos. There was something in the air that made small children scream, hit, throw things and tattle. Drew spend quite a bit of time in time-out, throwing the biggest fit I have ~~seen~~ heard in a very long time. Yup, even bigger than that annoying kid at the mall that you wish his parents would just take home because you are going deaf, and you are two stores down. It was a huge, massive, sobbing, screaming fit that just wouldn't end.

Finally, I just scooped my screaming, fit throwing boy up, changed him into jammies, and put him to bed.

As many of you know, Drew sleeps in Emma's old crib (which was also Grant's old crib) with a crib tent that we bought him a while back to keep him in the crib. The crib tent was awesome, and kept our little Houdini contained, which made for two happier parents, since we weren't constantly listening with one ear to see if we could hear him dancing on the crib rail again. He got a concussion at nineteen months by climbing out of the crib, but we didn't want to move him to a toddler bed because he shares the room with his twin brothers, and the room isn't padded on all walls or completely empty. However, the kids liked to climb in the crib tent and play, and a couple of weeks ago Ben broke the zipper on the crib tent so it didn't close anymore. We solved that problem by turning the crib around so the opening was up against the wall, we just had to slide the crib whenever we got him in or out of it. After four kids, you get creative.

Now, here's the thing. Remember a couple of years ago when all those cribs got recalled and we were all supposed to get retro-fit kits to fix them? Yeah. Well, I got on the website of the manufacturer of our crib, and couldn't ever get the kit. I entered the model number and the site said it wasn't a valid number. Our crib was still in good shape, it was our fourth and final child, and he was over a year old and not at risk of the suffocation danger that prompted the whole recall in the first place, so I just didn't worry about it. Over time, the crib started to weaken and I could see why it was recalled, so I tried again and still was told that it wasn't a valid number. I could have just contacted customer service, but I never did. Either I chose not to or I got distracted as something important was peed on, I don't know. Either way, the crib was weakening, I didn't have the retrofit kit, and sliding the crib out from the wall all the time wasn't helping matters.

So I did what any ~~caring, rule-following mother~~ caring, loving mother of four kids would do. I grabbed a bundle of zip-ties and zip-tied the rail to the support bars myself. Problem solved!

Right?

Well....

Last night, after the joys of new babies and massive fits, I put my screaming, fit throwing boy to bed. I don't know how he managed it (but let's be honest here, I never know how he manages to do the things he does) but he broke the zip ties and the whole side fell off the crib, sending it and my almost three year old to the ground. Luckily, he was in the crib tent which managed to slow his descent and break the fall. He wasn't hurt (thank the Lord) but the crib was broken.

Broken crib+broken crib tent+child who makes the nice poison control people say things like, "wow, that's impressive"=not a good situation.

I tried to fix the crib. I thought I would just get a bunch of screws and screw the thing in place, it had zero value so who cares how it looks if it's just going to last another little while, right? But the screws weren't long enough to hold it strongly enough.

So, once again, I got creative.

I grabbed the duct tape. I duct taped that sucker up, shook it a bit and got it nice and sturdy. I was impressed. I stood back and admired my work, and then it hit me. I was actually going to place my almost three year old in a crib that was held together with duct tape and had broken strands of zip-tie dangling from one corner? Was I competing for some sort of Jeff Foxworthy special? Was I an idiot?

And most importantly, if this fails, how on earth will I explain that at the ER?!?

Imaginary scenarios stared running through my head. The doctor asked, "How did your child break his arm?" and I have to answer, "well, his crib broke because I never got the mandatory retrofit kit for it, I just used zip ties instead. Then the zip ties broke and he fell out, but I just duct taped it together again, I mean, really, duct tape is definitely designed to keep our furniture together to keep our kids safe! Seriously, I had no idea that this wouldn't work."

And then, in my mind, CPS came to take my kids away and I was sent to a nice relaxing vacation in the psych ward.

I stared at the crib and sighed. The crib is designed to be a toddler bed by removing the side rail that happened to fall off. "Hey, buddy," I asked Drew, "how would you like to sleep in a big boy bed tonight?"

He was over the moon excited. So we talked. We talked about our expectations, that if he was going to be a big boy, he would have to stay in his bed and not get out to bug his brothers.

And he actually listened.

So proud of his new big-boy status that was created by the morning birth of his new baby cousin, Baby Jack Jack laid down his title of Baby and became a big boy last night.

This morning, I was in bed when he came into my room for his morning snuggle. As he opened my door, I realized that we had hit a "last" yesterday. Yesterday morning was the last time I would hear, "Mommy! I'm awake now, I wanna get up now!" in a fun singsong voice.

The baby stage is ending.

And today, my newly crowned Big Boy is wearing Spiderman undies, because Big Boys are potty trained, and he wants to be potty trained, too.

Calm down, uterus. We've got other people's babies to hold now.

Not Me! Monday!

2011-11-14T11:52:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! Truly one of my favorite blog posts, Not Me! Monday! is fabulous. She's a smart one, that MckMama.

During my computer time this morning, I clicked on my Blogger dashboard and saw that I was down a follower. I don't like to lose followers, but I can't say that I blame them because although there are truly funny blog posts that happen here, they really don't do you all any good if they never get out of my head and onto the computer. So I made the decision to stop right here and blog for you.

You're welcome.

I did NOT make up imaginary situations in my head where the lost follower just gave up Internet for the sake of becoming Amish, so drawn by a baggie of friendship bread that someone gave them at the office that they have decided through many hours of mashing the bag that that way of life was truly their calling, and in the process they deleted their Blogger account to pursue a simpler life filled with bonnets, aprons, and churning butter. NOPE, I would NOT convince myself of that rather than admitting that the lost follower probably just consciously said something like, 'Tiff never blogs anymore. Delete!'

a-HEM.

I am NOT supposed to be fixing my bathroom sink right now while I sit and blog for you in the hopes that someone else doesn't ~~stop following~~ become Amish. NOPE, our bathroom sink is NOT so clogged that water never drains, and we have NOT had standing water in that sink for a few days straight. We do NOT have to use the other bathroom for everything lest we try to rinse out toothbrushes and inadvertently immerse them in the nasty water that has been sitting there for days. You know, like when you use a public bathroom and when you wipe, you mis-judge the bum-to-water distance and end up dragging your knuckles into public-toilet water, making you jump and throw up in your mouth a little; even though the toilets in Target are probably ten times cleaner than your own sadly neglected toilet at home, since Target toilets get cleaned daily and you have three boys that pee everywhere.

Anywhoo. What in the world was I talking about?

Oh, yeah. So on my to do list today is to fix the sink and clean out the freezer. We have a side of beef coming tomorrow and I want it to be all pretty and organized.

Speaking of, we took the entire family after church on Sunday to make a Costco run, and wandered aimlessly (which my husband just LOVES, he does NOT get impatient at Costco AT ALL) and loaded up on groceries.

We passed by the CARS 2 display, and I managed to sneak a copy into the cart without any of the four highly observant children noticing. I did NOT accidentally sneak it past my own husband, however. We are ALWAYS on the same page and I would NEVER think that he would totally get that "I'm going to go look at these Wheat Thins over here!" actually means "Distract them so I can get CARS 2 without them seeing!" And then when I say, "everyone look at Daddy and bat your eyelashes at him and he will give you a sample of that snack over there," I do NOT think that he understands that it is code for "Now I am going to slip this movie into the cart between the meatballs and the bottled water!"

NOPE. I do NOT forget, quite often, that my husband cannot read my mind.

OK, in case you were wondering what a side of beef had to do with the Costco run, I did NOT burst into tears yesterday as I completely re-arranged the pantry to make room for all the new purchases. I did NOT feel completely overwhelmed at the vast amount of food we had for our family as I remembered bringing five pounds of flour and five pounds of cornmeal to people in the slums of Kenya, and how incredibly grateful they were for those seemingly small, insignificant things. I looked at my pantry and thought of how many meals we could make for the starving children in Kenya and I cried. We are so very blessed, and I never want to forget it.

OK, moving on.

I did NOT once again decide to vacuum the computer, which led to vacuuming the cords under the desk, which eventually led to re-arranging the entire living room. NOPE, I do NOT do things on a whim like that. And I certainly do NOT do these whimsy things while my husband is at work, it would make much more sense to have a big strong man around when pushing furniture. I most certainly do NOT do stuff like this on purpose so that I can do it my way and not have to stop while he says, "you know, what if we tried it like this?" to which I would say something like, "hey, this was my idea, why do you think you get an opinion?!? It's not like you live here or somet... oh, wait."

Marriage advice from me: If you want something done your way, without any other opinions, wait till he's at work. I know, I should write a marriage book.

p.s.: My hubby loved the living room update. And if he hadn't, I wouldn't have minded at all if he wanted to move it all back the way it was. He would have had to do all the moving himself, however, but I wouldn't have minded at all!

p.p.s.: I love the Amish. And bonnets. And butter. Kinda like how I fully respect homeschooling and the Duggers; it's a great way of life, just not for me.

p.p.p.s.: The living room update has actually led to a bit of a technical error in out house, where we actually have to disconnect the home phone to open the pantry. That's on the to-do-list for tomorrow, but since I put off today's list to blog for you all it might not be fixed till 2014. It happens.

He's Actually Human After All

2011-10-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Drew. Oh, Drew.

My fourth and final child, the two year old spitfire who loves life and finds joy (and chaos) at every turn. The one who seems to defy all rules, including the laws of gravity and every child-proofing device ever made.

I never thought I'd find something that could stop him. From his first concussion at nineteen months to the fact that he can do a twenty five piece puzzle with all the pieces flipped over so he can't see the picture, he is not normal. I have never met a two year old that can do what this kid can do.

For a while, I thought he was unstoppable.

Until now.

It was last week. I was in the kitchen, prepping and freezing 50 pounds of chicken when I heard from the living room. "Mommy, help! I's stuck!" Being the attentive, responsive, caring mother I am, I replied, "Well, get un-stuck then!"

It didn't work. After some pretty serious wailing, I washed the raw chicken off my hands and went to investigate what exactly it was that caused this child, this unusually strong and independent child, to be stuck and unable to move.

I saw it. And then I laughed.

Mr. Crazy had been climbing in the windowsill again. He knows he is not supposed to, he knows that he gets in trouble every time, but he also knows that when Mommy is covered in raw chicken, it's gonna take a lot to get her to come check things out.

We had decorated for Halloween.

My dear unstoppable child was stuck in a tangled mess of polyester spiderweb, long strings of white web hooked around the latches of his firefighter jacket. He looked at me, his eyes huge and scared, wrapped up in web that still hung from the top of the windowsill.

Apparently, Halloween decorations aren't just for decorating. And spider webs are extremely strong and catch-y, even the fake kind.

I'mma gonna have to remember that, and file that information away for future use.

So if you ever come over and find fake spiderwebs hanging from my windows in July, don't judge me, m'kay?

Random Ramblings About Cars And Fences

2011-10-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Man, it's hard to get back into he swing of blogging. I feel like I need something big to happen in order to blog about it, but I never was that way before. What is it about taking a break that totally throws off your bloggy groove? I have no idea.

So let's see, what's been going on? Life is crazy, as usual, and we are fully into the swing of fall. Although I did take the boys to pre-school this morning and found myself driving to Emma's school instead. That's what I get for driving while having an imaginary conversation with someone from the PTO at the elementary school, I end up going to the elementary school.

Yup. I'm brilliant.

I got my first speeding ticket in a very long time this weekend. That was fun. I was mostly disappointed because I finally had the money to go get the bookcase I have been wanting forever and ever and instead I get to support our county sheriff's office. And the cop had no interest in having a conversation so I could try and talk my way out of the ticket, I didn't stand a chance. But what was more frustrating was the fact that almost immediately after I called my husband to tell him, he facebooked this:

Hey Tiff Stauffer, c'mon down, you are the next contestant on "Here's Your Ticket!" At least you are supporting the struggling state budget, right??!? $144, but then again, I do get to tease you for a while. Might just be worth it!!

Thanks, babe. Because I totally wanted all of our friends and family to find out. You are so helpful.

Of course, I took the high road again (because I'm such a good person) and didn't respond back about the fact that a couple of years ago, he got a ticket for speeding through a school zone while on a cell phone and got pulled over right in front of his sister's house as his niece and nephew were getting off the bus. And that he didn't have proof of insurance in his car, and gave the officer his business card instead, hoping that the fact that he is an insurance agent would work.

Nope, I didn't bring that up at all.

a-HEM.

Luckily, I didn't even have to think about letting everyone in Facebook-land know that he backed his car into the fence last week, after my saying several times, "if you park there, you will back into the fence someday," because he was nice enough to bring it up first.

Maybe he is a good guy after all.

Love you, honey!

I Killed Woody Woodpecker

2011-10-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's true. Although I still maintain that Woody just tried to take on my van and lost.

I think we have all had those experiences, you know where a bird flies right in front of your car and you swear there is no way you couldn't have not hit it. (Don'tcha love the double-negative?) Lemme tell ya, from my experience today, you'd know.

Because it comes with a very jolting thump. And if you're super-special, you might also get a bit of bird guts flying up and landing on your windshield.

Guess what?!? I'm super-special!!

So I was on the phone with my hubby at the time. The birdie came swooping in from the side, and then there was the whole thump-and-guts thing. I might have screamed. Or gasped. I don't know.

All I know is I started yelling to my husband what had happened (because as we all know, yelling information over the phone is much more effective than simply speaking information when you are startled) to which he responded in the sweetest, most understanding way- by accusing me of being a bird-killer. What do you do if your darling, adorable, least-sensitive-man-in-the-world husband responds to your upset-ed-ness by calling you a murderer?

Well, I don't know what you would do. But I took the high road. I was the grown up. I was mature in my response, allowing no morsel of revenge to take place.

Or, I pulled over and took a picture of the bird, still embedded in the front of my van, and texted it to him.

You will have to guess which one of these things I chose to do.

Oh, and by the way, removing a dead birdie who is still warm from it's position half-way under your hood is a very sad thing. And you might not realize that your kids are watching the whole thing. And you might feel bad about just putting it in the gas station garbage can, but you don't dare bring it into the van to bring it home for a proper burial.

Because good heavens, do you know what would happen if Drew got a hold of a dead bird?!?

After a quick Google search I identified it as a Pacific Northwest hairy woodpecker. And that made me sad, because I love woodpeckers.

Anywhoo, I did the grown-up mature thing again and answered the kids' questions about the bird. And then I did the ~~brilliant~~ slightly dysfunctional move of using this as a life lesson in why we don't cross the street without looking, or we might get hit by a car and die and leave nothing but a severed wing in the road as the only piece of evidence that your life has ended in such a horrible, tragic way.

OK, I didn't go that far. But I did remind them of the bird the next day when Drew tried to run straight into the parking lot without looking.

Killing Woody the Woodpecker with your car - the life lesson that keeps on giving.

Not Me! Monday!

2011-10-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, Monday, how I love you and your bloggy fun. :)

Last week, my darling husband and I had a date. An actual, real date with actual, real friends that included wine and lots and lots of laughter. It was awesome.

However.

Leading up to this awesome time, we did NOT do the ever-so-brilliant thingy where I think he is finding a sitter and he thinks I am finding a sitter, so we wait till the last minute and then everyone is busy.

Nope, NOT us!

So the morning of the event, I asked our neighbor, whose daughter plays with Emma regularly and whom I trust. She was available. Perfect.

The kids, however, are used to being watched by family, so the idea of someone else coming to babysit was a little different. They were thrilled, believe me, but the whole concept of being "babysat" was a new thing.

And apparently, they forgot what was going on.

We went to Safeway to get some groceries, and as we were standing in line the lady asked me the ever-so common question. "Are they all yours?" Well, actually, I had an extra that day, so for the first time ever I had to say no. That felt weird. Seeing that we were having a conversation, Grant decided to take part and interject what was on his mind.

Don't worry, he did NOT get confused to what was happening that evening, so he did NOT say to her, "Hey guess what? We're getting kidnapped today!"

Nope, NOT my kid!

I corrected him, embarrassed, and let him know that getting kidnapped and getting babysat were two different things entirely. Then I silently prayed that the line would move quickly and we could get outta there before she had a chance to memorize my face and call the authorities. Being the normal, sane mother that I am, I did NOT have images of the kids actually getting kidnapped and then having the lady from Safeway report that this was balloon-boy-type incident and the kids would never be found.

NOPE, I am NOT that deranged.

Then I noticed that we hadn't moved forward in line. At all. And no one was beeping anything at any of the registers.

NOPE, I was NOT in line with a woman who my kid had just told that he was getting kidnapped right at the very moment that apparently a meteor hit the satellite that controls the registers, shutting the entire store down for about twenty minutes.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

"Mom?" Grant did NOT ask, "what time is the neighbor coming to kidnap us today?"

"Grant, she is coming to babysit you, not kidnap you. Babysitting is when someone comes to your house to watch you and that someone is not your mommy or daddy."

"Oh."

NOPE. I did NOT stand there in line with a two year old, a three year old, and two four year olds who were excited to get kidnapped, for twenty minutes while trying to avoid eye contact with the lady next to me.

-------------------

My darling two year old IS normal. Just your basic ordinary kid.

Sorry, even in a "not me" I couldn't get through that one without laughing.

Anywhoo, over the weekend he decided to dress himself in his finest. His Seahawks jersey, his puppy dog boxer briefs, and his red rubber boots composed his outfit of choice.

Two year old ladies, get in line.

As I was working in the kitchen, he came into the room with his boots making a lovely schoomp-sploosh sound with every step.

"What's up with your boots, buddy?" I asked innocently.

"I's just water, Mommy," came the adorable reply. I checked him. His undies were dry. We were safe.

I took him into the bathroom and set him in the tub to take off the boots. I stepped into a huge puddle on the way, and noticed a great deal of liquid on the floor. "What is all this, Drew?" "Oh, i's just water." I looked around. There was a lot of it, and right next to the toilet. Starting to wonder what kind of water I was standing in, I asked, "Buddy, where did it all come from?"

He did NOT answer in the most matter-of-fact way, "Fwom my pee-nis."

NOPE. My kid did NOT get within three inches of the toilet, then turn around, lower his undies and pee all over the floor and in both of his rubber boots, filling them up at least a half-inch each.

Certainly NOT my kid!!

-----------------

Head on over to MckMama's blog to see what she and everyone else have NOT been doing this week!

Not Me! Monday!

2011-10-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, I love Not Me! Monday! The chance to NOT admit my (many, many) parenting imperfections and dismiss the common assumption that I have wonderfully well behaved children and that our life is perfect. Oh, wait, you didn't assume that?!? Oh, good, you've been paying attention. ;)

Last week I headed to bed, tired and drained. I decided to watch a little TV before sleeping, so I tuned it on to Nick at Nite. Now, I have loved Nick at Nite for a long time and have watched it off and on for many years. Re-runs of I Dream of Jeannie, Mr. Ed, Bewitched, and others have been so entertaining to me. As I turned the channel, it suddenly hit me what old, fun, outdated show was on.

It was Friends.

NOPE, I have NOT reached the age where shows that were first aired after I was out of high school are now on Nick at Nite. Shows that I watched in my adulthood are NOT now fodder for the young kids to come in and see and be entertained by how things were in the olden days. No, that episode was NOT originally aired fifteen years ago.

Friends is NOT on Nick at Nite.

And I am NOT that old.

As we were headed into the grocery store late one evening, my darling son decided at the very last minute that he needed his sweatshirt. Being the kind, loving, considerate mother that I am, I did NOT tell him, "Too bad. You had your chance, now we're headed inside." NOPE, I would never do that, even though I had warned him to get his sweatshirt on before he got out of the van.

My darling, sweet Emma decided to be so helpful that she took off her own sweatshirt to give to Grant so that he wouldn't be cold. Total proud moment in parenting.

That wonderful proud moment in parenting was NOT burst when my darling four year old son started skipping and jumping down the aisles of the store sporting a pink and purple striped sweatshirt and yelling, "I'm a BOY! I look like a girl, but I'm a BOY!" to everyone within earshot (and several who were not).

NOPE. I DON"T claim him.

Head on over to MckMama's blog to see what everyone else had NOT been up to this week!

Games My Kids Play

2011-09-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

No, my kids are not normal.

I'm sure most of you have figured this out by now, but we have a few new readers thanks to Kingdom Twindom (hi and welcome! Thanks for joining us!) so I thought I'd reiterate that fact.

Between pulling fire alarms and peeing all over Costco, my kids have a reputation for doing things that are a little, well, unusual at times.

And by unusual, I mean things that will ultimately contribute heavily to my upcoming permanent vacation in the insane asylum.

a-HEM.

Anywhoo, last night at bath time, they started a new game. I immediately grabbed my phone to record the happenings, and after showing my darling hubby the video, I grabbed their swimsuits so I could blog it. No, my kids don't normally wear swimsuits in the bathtub.

And yes, this was completely their idea. Well, after this one, the rest of the kid had to get in on the action, too. Ben was into it....

Grant wanted to, but resisted a little. I laughed so hard at this one. "Ugh, he's a tough one."

And who gets to baptize the ~~control freak~~ administrative Emma? Well, apparently she can do it herself. "Well, they would drop me!" Yup, good call, sweetie. Good call.

My kids may do strange things, but it's times like these that make it all worth it.

Guest post!!

2011-09-28T16:51:00.001-07:00

WooHoo!! Sarah Valente over at Kingdom Twindom asked me to pop on by for a bloggy visit, go on over here to see my first guest post!

Ramblings About Horses and Crying in a Parking Lot

2011-09-22T10:18:00.001-07:00

I've been home from Africa for over a month now.

I haven't gone through all the pictures, it still stirs up so much in my soul that it is hard, but a good hard. It takes time. It is not something I can just do while multitasking life, breaking up fights while talking on the phone and seeing images of the Maasai baptism is not something I can do all at once.

It's amazing how some days I can go through the routine of life and everything is fine. And some days, something will hit me and I will, in my mind, go back there and feel it all. One of those moments happened earlier this week.

I was on the way to Bible study. I had turned into the parking lot of the church and was looking for a spot when suddenly a truck started pulling out, backing up towards me. No problem, I just waited for them to pull out and continued on. That's when I caught a glimpse of the license plate frame. The top read, "POVERTY IS". I couldn't quite read the bottom line, but my mind started going. Now that I have been to Africa, I know what poverty is. Poverty is the 25,000 children that died yesterday because their parents don't have enough money to feed them. Poverty is Eunice, who sits bedridden in her bed in the Kibera slum because she can't afford the $12 a week it would take for therapy for her to walk and work again. So there she sits, waiting to see if today her daughter might bring her a plate of food, but knowing that there is a good chance it might not happen.

It only took a couple of seconds for me to lean forward in my seat enough to read the bottom of the license plate frame, but in those couple of seconds I was intrigued. Would I read an amazing, inspirational quote abut poverty and what it means to us? What would it say?

Then I saw the rest of the license plate frame.

"POVERTY IS OWNING HORSES"

I sat back in the driver's seat of the van, and before I could even get myself parked I was crying. Poverty is owning horses? But the thing is, two months ago I would have gotten the joke. Yes, horses are expensive and take a lot of money. But here I sit now, forever changed by the sights and sounds and smells and visions of Africa, of real poverty and the overwhelming wealth and security that is American life. And to be honest, I don't quite know how to handle it.

I knew going into this trip that I could not come home and "Africa-ize" everything. I don't want to be that know-it-all who thinks she has all the world's answers because she spent two weeks seeing what third-world actually means. I don't want to do that. Not at all.

But still, part of me wants to scream and yell and be that crazy lady on the street corner who is telling everyone about the starving children in Africa and how selfish we are. I want to run up the the driver's window and inform them what poverty really is, and that if you have the financial ability to feed not only your family but horses as well, that's actually the definition of affluence, not poverty. I want to fix it, and the only thing I have with me are my words.

But I know that isn't the answer, because if you don't know about these children, these lives, you will never realize exactly how big the world is. We are told to look at life through the filter of the 'big picture', but our 'big picture' doesn't often extend beyond the borders of America. And as someone who has seen the slums of Kenya, I will be so bold as to say that there is no poverty in America.

It just doesn't exist. Now, I know that America is not perfect, not by a long shot. There is a sex slave trade in the very state that I live in. Prostitution is rampant, and drugs are a real problem. People need saving in America, too. But we have a government that says that we will never starve to death, and if our lives depend on it, we will get medical care. We are rich. We are wealthy beyond measure, and we are so inwardly focused on comparing ourselves to the rest of the wealthiest people of the world that we just don't get exactly how rich we are.

I, for one, am just as bad as everyone else.

My cell phone is a messaging phone, but I don't have a data plan. It is wearing out, the keys stick and I often find my self typing the same letter multiple times unintentionally so I have to double check my texts before I send them. I want an iPhone. I have for some reason convinced myself that a data plan and a GPS are just what I need to make my life easier and better. It's what I want, and I'm hoping to get one for Christmas.

25,000 children died yesterday because their parents could not afford to buy them food. Today, another 25,000 children are dying, and tomorrow, it's going to happen again. And I sit here in my comfortable home, longing for an iPhone.

Where's the big picture?

Are we as Americans really as blessed as we think? Yes, we have every necessity readily available to us. Our poor are not only provided food, clean water and medical care, but also cable TV and a cell phone. Truly, in the 'big picture', we don't even have poor people in America. Yet we live in a society so obsessed with outward appearances that we make it our life goal to be successful and have it all. We are so inwardly focused that we can't even see what is happening in the world beyond the borders of what we know. We have so much that we can't even fathom a part of the world where 150,000 people die every month because they cannot afford $30 for medical care.

In Kenya, you introduce yourself to others with a statement of faith. To introduce myself, I would say, "Hello, I am Tiffani Stauffer. I am a sinner saved solely by the grace of God and covered in the blood of the Lamb. All glory to Him who gives me life and breath."

Cars are literally covered in expressions of faith. What kind of Jesus-freak status would I receive if I plastered 8 inch letters proclaiming "JESUS SAVES" across the back window of my van?

In Africa, faith is huge. The word and works of God simply emanates from the souls of His followers that His name is spoken so seamlessly into conversation that it is the most natural thing in the world.

It's something that we just don't have. I have never in America met anyone like many of the people I met in Kenya. We don't have that faith, the one that prays "give us this day our daily bread" and then patiently waits for God to provide that day's food, knowing it will not come otherwise. We don't rely on God, because we have ourselves.

We think that poverty is owning horses.

I sat in the parking lot and cried. I cried for the souls in Africa that are starving and dying, for those who want to help but can't do it alone, and for my own selfish mind that thinks that I need things that are not even remotely a necessity. I cried for all the money that I wasted in my youth on cigarettes and Jack Daniels, knowing now that I could have literally saved lives with that money, but instead didn't have a clue, nor did I want to look beyond myself and think of other people.

I cry for the things I have, and the things I want, and finding a way to live an American life in America, but being Godly instead. It's a balance that I don't know how to handle.

So what the heck an I doing?

How can I make a difference here in America? And the answer is: I don't know yet. There is a part of me that wants desperately to sell everything we own and pack up our little family and move to Kenya to serve these amazing people, and live a life filled with the faith and freedom that comes from it, but that might not be the best option. That might not be God's plan.

Maybe my job is to tell the stories of these children. These people, these amazing souls who love Jesus and are so filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit that it bursts from their bodies and fills their every thought and deed. Maybe I am to reach out to you, my loyal bloggy friends, and tell you to sponsor a child. Maybe I am to start a nonprofit to help the people of Kibera learn how to support themselves and break the cycle of poverty once and for all. Maybe I am to pack up my family and move, but I just don't know.

Poverty is not owning horses, but unless these people's stories can be told, we as Americans will never get it.

I still don't fully get it.

But I'm trying.

Not Me! Monday!

2011-09-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, Not Me! Monday! how I have missed you! It's been a while since we have had a Not Me! Monday! around here, so let me refresh your memory (or introduce you to the whole concept, if you are new around here!)

Not Me! Monday! was the brain child of MckMama, who describes it as this: Not Me! Monday is a weekly event born out of my desire to admit some of my imperfections and reveal a few moments I’d rather forget. Why? It’s therapy of the best kind. Plus, reading the embarrassing ways that others sometimes fail makes us feel less alone. Of course, pretending that we so did not do some of this crazy stuff makes sharing a little easier. Are you willing?

Yup, I'm willing. So here we go!

We had a family reunion last weekend. Now, my kids are generally well behaved in public, so besides the complete crazy of four excited kids running like spider monkeys hopped up on sugar, it's generally a pretty good time. So when my Dad's cousin crouched down to say 'hi' to Ben and make a few faces at him to try and make him laugh, he most definitely DID just say hi back. He did NOT reach back and punch the guy in the face, knocking his glasses to the ground. NOT my kid!

When my darling hubby told me of this event (I was talking to another relative and missed the whole thing,) I did NOT correct him and say, "you said Ben, but you meant Drew, right?" because of the fact that 99.999% of the antics that would necessitate a NOT me! Monday! post revolve strictly around our two year old little darling. He did NOT have to correct me and tell me that it was really Ben. Sweet, quiet Ben, who is generally non-violent and loving. And my darling hubby did NOT have to tell me this fact twice before I started to almost believe him.

Yup. We're THAT family.

We had our first PTO (parent teacher organization, just like PTA but without the dues) meeting at school last week. We meet in the library, and the kids go to the gym where they have childcare and the ability run run to their heart's content. I love it because I get t go sit with grown ups, and I pick up children who are sweaty, happy, and completely exhausted. It's a win/win!

So at this meeting, we had just adjourned when the school's fire alarm sounded. Being the positive, upbeat mother that I am, I did NOT turn to the teacher sitting next to me and say, "I'll bet you that was one of my kids." I mean, who would think that one of my little precious darlings would pull the fire alarm?!? NOT me!

I left the library and headed out. The fire doors were closed between the library and the gym, so I headed out the door to go around. I was NOT met in the hallway by another teacher who shook her head and smiled, then said, "It was one of yours!"

Nope, NOT me and NOT my kid.

Head on over to MckMama's blog to see more confessions of less that perfect parents!

Breaking the Cycle Of Poverty....

2011-09-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

....one day at a time.

OK. So I'm assuming you have seen the previous posts about my trip to Africa. If not, go HERE and HERE to get all caught up to what is going on.

Now I apologize for making you wait so long to see what happened next, but things have been a wee bit nuts around here. No matter how many hours I want to spend blogging, I still have four kids. Who are crazy. But that's another post for another day.

Anywhoo.

So when I last left you, we had toured the Kibera slum and the Saviour King's Academy. It was incredible. Knowing that we wanted to do all we could to help these kids while we were there, we did something super simple that rocked their world.

How do you teach children that there is life outside of the slum if they have never been outside of the slum?

You take them on their first (for many of them) ever field trip!

This was the view as we drove up to the spot we were going to meet the kids.

We parked in the parking lot of a gas station just outside of the slum, and eventually the kids swarmed out to greet us.

The teachers said that many of them had woken up several times in the middle of the night, asking their parents, "is it morning yet? Is it time to go?"

They were so stinking excited they couldn't hardly stand it!

We waited in a little grassy area next to the gas station for our bus to arrive. And we had a blast. The kids are so entranced with having their picture taken, then they all want to see themselves in the back of the camera.

We thought it was so cute, then it dawned on us. They don't have mirrors. These are the only times they get to see themselves, when someone visits them with a camera.

Unbelievable.

I knew, going into this trip, that I take a lot of things for granted. I knew this trip would open my eyes to the incredible blessings we as Americans have. I assumed I would learn more about the incredible blessing that is clean water, and healthy food, and electricity.

But there were some things that I didn't even think about that I take for granted every day. Like this next picture.

For some of these kids, this was the first time in their lives that they had ever seen grass.

Grass.

It's humbling, isn't it?

We played with them till the bus came. We were on Africa time, which runs a little later than American time. It was over an hour that we hung out with these kids in the small area next to the gas station, but these kids had the time of their lives. I don't think they even cared that we had something bigger and better planned, all they cared about was that someone from far away cared about them enough to come for a visit and play...

...and take their pictures so they could see themselves and their friends and laugh and laugh....

...and talk to them and care about what they had to say as well.

We got close to them. Our team leader warned us that chances are, we would bring home a souvenir that we weren't expecting, like ringworm or something fungal. We chose not to care, and to just love these children. We have medicines to treat ailments, they need people to love them. It was a very simple choice.

(A rare photo of me. I don't think I show up much on this blog, do I? I'll have to work on that.)

They loved, loved, loved seeing themselves in the camera.

And they all wanted to see themselves next to us.

Jen hung out and got to know the kids...

...we played games with them...

...Lauren ran around the largest circle of duck-duck-goose that I have ever seen...

...Kayla introduced them to Simon Says...

...basically, we just had a blast, hanging out next to a gas station.

Then, the bus arrived. I counted the seats on the bus, there were 36. However, the rules in Africa are a little different than in America. There are no booster seats or seat belt laws. You just do what you have to do to get where you are going. So on this 36 seat bus, we put all 12 of the adults on our team inside, and then added 130 children, squished up on our laps, on their laps, in the aisles, anywhere they could fit, we packed bodies. This is the best picture I could get, as I was squished up against the window with four kids on my lap.

The bus started moving, and I waited for some child to cry. It never happened. Little kids were sitting on seats, three kids piled on them to the point that their heads could not move, and instead of complaining or whining or crying, they did something incredible.

They started singing. They sang praises to Jesus, at the tops of their lungs with all they joy they could muster. it was absolutely incredible, I had a hard time keeping it together. People on the streets stopped and stared as we drove by. We were our own parade in Kenya.

Wow.

We finally got to where we were going and got set up. The bus went back for the other load of kids, and we got underway.

We had taken the kids to a park. It's such a small thing by our standards, but to these kids, it meant to world. They live in a slum of one million people in ten square miles. There is no space to run. Their streets are filled with rotting garbage and a river of human waste. Before this day, many of these kids had never seen wide open spaces or grass.

How do you teach kids that there is a world out there to be lived in if they have never seen it? How do you break the cycle of poverty and slum life if these kids have never seen firsthand that there is a world outside of the slum?

You can't.

We played Awana games all. day. long.

And oh, my goodness, these kids had a blast.

My sweet Ann. She will forever live in my heart.

Sweet babies. These are the same ones who go to school in the tiny classroom, without even a light bulb to see.

Many of the chilrden took off their worn, too small shoes in order to run and play.

This was a new game that we were introduced to called wall, gun, rabbit. OK, I don't know that it was actually called that, but that seemed to me the most logical name. Basically the same as our rock, paper, scissors; but there were two teams and they would both turn around facing away from each other and decide which one they wanted to be, then when the leader yelled "go!", they would quickly turn around making the motion of what they had chosen.

This team was doing 'wall'. In rock-paper-scissors fashion, rabbit jumps over the wall, the gun shoots the rabbit, and the wall stops the bullets. We all shook our heads at these sweet kids pointing finger guns at each other. It was a bit of a culture clash, but it works for them!

The kids were such good sports. They cheered and cheered when they won, and didn't get upset if they didn't.

This is Washington. He is the most incredible Awana games leader I have ever seen, and he has an amazing heart for these kids. Boundless energy, he was just 'on' the entire day.

Also, it was awesome that a group of people form the great state of Washington traveled to Kenya to play with these kids and met a guy named Washington.

He could dance, let me tell you. The kids adored him, and he loved them as well.

All day, we played with these kids. I don't know who enjoyed it more, us or them.

Then it was our turn to play a couple of games. Most of us were assigned to teams, so the kid cheered for their mzungus (white people, what they called us most of the time). Jen is an awesome balloon-blower-upper!

Imaging the excitement in a tree, if you don't have one.

Or the calm that comes from a clean place to rest.

Or the simple joy of clean, sandy dirt. Did you ever realize that you take dirt for granted? I didn't either.

We served lunch; rice, beans and a banana. For many of these kids, this is the only meal they eat in a day. We tried to load them up as much as we could, but we did have to feed 300 so we had to be careful. I do think everyone got to eat their fill.

The kids brought their own bowls, but only a few had silverware. Most ate with their hands, the hands that never get washed and are covered in dirt, grime, and feces.

There were port-a-potties in the park. We headed out there to see, and were not too surprised to see that they were squatty potties. However, the smell was horrific, they were filled with flies, and this floor was only attached to the walls by giant staples along the sides. A few of us waited till the last possible moment to go, and then we took turns and stood outside the door and literally prayed over who was inside that they floor wouldn't collapse on them. We all survived, and the floor stayed intact, so we were relieved. I never knew this was on my bucket list, but... check!

Some of the gals on our team had prepared a skit for the kids, and they were all engrossed in what was going on.

They didn't laugh at the funny parts, we weren't sure if they didn't understand it or if they thought we were being serious and just didn't want to offend. Jen asked them questions at the end, and they all seemed to get the point, so we called it a success.

After lunch, we went back to the games. The little kids joined in, and although they didn't play, they just sat for hours and watched their older teammates and cheered them on.

Then it was our turn to play tug of war. that's me in the blue bandanna. We tried hard, but were defeated by the team of teachers that you see in the black shirts. These gals were determined!

We handed out cars for the young kids...

...and cross necklaces to the older ones...

...which were worn with great pride.

The cars were donated by an incredible organization called Toys For God's Kids. A huge thank you for donating 1,000 cars, we spread them all over Kenya and Tanzania!

Finally, the bus came and the kids headed out. The little ones stayed behind, as it took several trips to take the kids home and they wanted to vans for the littles to drive them into the slum and home, instead of letting them walk home like the older kids. My heart breaks every time I think of it, but I didn't notice the bus come so I didn't say goodbye to my Ann. I hope she knows how much I love her.

We were sitting in the late afternoon with the little kids, singing and teaching them songs when suddenly, they all took off screaming. Chants of "Monkey! Monkey! Monkey!" echoed through the park, and they all gave chase.

Apparently in the evenings, the monkeys come out to graze on the garbage and food scraps that get left behind.

This was a fantastic experience, not just because we as Americans got to see wild monkeys for the first time ever, but that we got to share a first with these kids. Many of them had never seen a wild monkey, so we all got to experience something together.

We didn't see the sign that said, "please don't feed the monkeys" till we were leaving. In this case, ignorance is bliss.

Finally, the van came and all the little kids crammed in and headed home.

We stayed behind waiting for the van to come back for us, and were there after dark. It was an incredible, exhausting say, but I'd do it again tomorrow if I could.

Who knew that something so simple as taking kids to a park would have such an impact? But really, how do you tell kids that slum life isn't all there is unless you show them that there is something else out there?

I really wish we could have done more. It is hard to be there for such a short time and try to make a difference in a child's life, much less make a difference in 270 children's lives. We did what we could, and we did it led by God, and that's enough for now.

I want to go back. I want to see these amazing children again, and hug their necks and tell them I love them. I plan to return someday, I don't know when but I want to make it happen.

Anyone want to go to Kenya? :D

(Coming up next: the family that had the biggest impact on the majority of our team. The will and determination of some of these people just to live is amazing.)