The Longest Days. The Shortest Years.

State of the Union 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:40:00 +0000

Ok, so I'm a little late this year but here is my annual State of the Union address (I'll try to keep it shorter than that other guy's State of the Union address):

Timber

Well, let's see..... Obviously 2011 was a big year for Timber. He learned to roll, sit, stand, walk, run, talk(ish), eat solid food, and got his first haircut. It's hard to top that, huh?! Maybe I should have saved him for last.... Timber is now 16-months-old and loves chasing Flora and Scout through the house. He tries so hard to play their big-kid games and is usually pretty good at pretending to know what he's doing. When he's not imitating Flora and Scout he is usually watching DORA!!, "reading" an animal book, or putting together his puzzles. He has only recently discovered puzzles and can't seem to get enough of them.
We recently discovered that Timber is allergic to peanuts and almonds. On a scale from 0 (no allergy) to 6 (severe allergy), his blood test only put him at a 0.42. While we're thankful for the low number, we're continuing to follow the doctor's orders to avoid all peanuts and almonds (and basically all nuts since there's so much cross-contamination, I guess) for a couple more years. Apparently, peanut allergies can worsen with each exposure and we don't want that! Before he starts school we will do another blood test and possibly meet with an allergist to do an exposure test in a controlled environment. But that is all a long way off. Right now we are finding it fairly easy to avoid peanuts and almonds. And we have an epi-pen that we hope we never need to use -- just in case!

Scout

Scout is a little smarty-pants. He's a scrawny little thing but tough as nails. He's loud and fast and usually stinky -- basically, he's a boy. Scout is using the big-boy potty as of last summer and, let me tell you, having only one kid in diapers is aMAZing! Scout has been seizure-free since his febrile seizure in July. Of course, he hasn't had a fever since July either but the doctor is fairly confident that he probably does not have a febrile seizure condition. She said that kids with febrile seizure disorders tend to find ways to develop a fever more often than other kids. Also, Scout thanks Jesus for Christmas EVERY TIME he prays.

Flora

Flora is completely out of diapers now!! She is no longer wearing nighttime diapers and I am sooooo happy to have one child completely out of diapers. She took a dance class last Fall and absolutely LOVED it! She also started Awana at church and looks forward to "Awana day" all week. I think we might try a soccer league next year just to change things up. I'm completely torn about whether or not to send her to preschool this coming Fall but I think I'm getting close to a decision. I think I will keep her home this next school year but enroll her in a summer preschool in Summer 2013 -- right before she starts kindergarten. That's not THE decision yet, but that's what I'm leaning toward.
Flora is very fancy. She carries a purse with sparkly lip gloss in it around the house all day and it's not usual for her to pop into her room to change into a princess dress. We're going to a Fancy Nancy program at the library this Saturday and she already has an "exquisite" outfit picked out to wear. If you want to pay her the highest compliment, just tell her she looks "exquisite." She's my girly girly girly girl and I love it! Flora also participated in our church's Christmas program for the first time in December. This is a picture of her at the program. It was a cowboy/ranch themed skit.

Chris and Stefanie

Well, we just aren't very exciting right now. We did make some major 2012 resolutions that we hope to accomplish in the next 11 months. Mainly, lose weight, get out of debt, and make my feet look pretty. We each lost 10 pounds in January! Woohoo!! I've developed a deep and meaningful relationship with the treadmill. I will update more about us when something exciting happens. There's probably more I could tell now but I'm tired of writing and Chris just got home and I'm not feeling very creative tonight so it probably wouldn't be very interesting anyway. (This is us at our small group's ugly sweater Christmas party -- Chris doesn't usually look this sleazy and I don't usually wear turtlenecks.)

Oh, and my new blog layout includes this nifty LIKE button at the bottom. I could probably remove it, but then you wouldn't be able to tell me that you LIKE my blog!! Haha, but no worries, I can't see who LIKEs each post (and I DID remove the DISLIKE button!!). :-)

crafty moms

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:30:00 +0000

Kids. They're strange little boogers. Why do they think inappropriate words are funny? And why do they feel the need to giggle about them in the shopping cart at JoAnn's?? Of course, Mommy had to put a stop to that. JoAnn's is a relatively quiet store so who knows how many people were judging me for my children's crude sense of humor.

Once I put a stop to the penis giggling they decided to play a rhyming game.
"Ball. Call. Wall. Doll."
"My kids are SO smart," I thought.
"Cat. Hat. Bat. Rat."
"And they're SO sweet to play a little rhyming game while I'm shopping."
"Duck. Tuck. F---."
"WHOA! No more rhyming!!!"
Of course, once Flora had said THAT word she said it again and then said, "Huh, that's a funny word." I just held my breath hoping that would be the end of it. I almost expected one of her dolls to have a new name when we got home but thankfully she forgot about her new word discovery once she saw all the jewelry-making supplies at JoAnn's. Whew!

I really enjoyed browsing JoAnn's with a cart full of kids. It made me feel like one of THOSE moms -- the moms who sew dresses and pillows and trash can covers and toilet seat cushions, who create beautiful wall hangings out of old toilet paper rolls and fancy door wreaths out of popsicle sticks and teabags, who re-purpose a broken toaster into a funky lamp or a bucket of bottle caps into the Mona Lisa. I can barely make time to keep my eyebrows plucked, let alone design fashion jewelry out of kitchen utensils. Somehow these crafty moms manage to dream, design, and create while still putting three meals on the table for their kids. And I assume their kids don't just watch tv all day so there must be some kind of parent-child interaction taking place. And kids don't change their own diapers or blow their own noses for at least a couple years.....and then there's the Mess and the Laundry. The Mess and the Laundry -- my ever-present companions. At least I'll never be lonely....even if I'm never crafty.

So, ANYWAY, I enjoy walking around JoAnn's with a cart full of kids because as long as I'm in the store I can pretend to be one of those crafty moms. I imagine that everyone in the store assumes I am a crafty mom (because why else would I be pushing three kids in a too-tiny cart through JoAnn's??) and I certainly don't tell them any differently.

This whole crafty mom thing is all Pinterest's fault -- I wish I could say I was above it all but I'm not.
I want to be crafty.
So I make things.
They're never great but I applaud myself for creating something besides a baby.

Because apparently making babies is not enough to qualify me as a crafty mom these days.

hide-and-seek (aka shout-at-the-wall-and-run)

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:48:00 +0000

Flora and Scout play hide-and-seek. Scout hides while Flora puts her face to the wall and counts loudly to twenty. She runs off to find Scout. Timber immediately runs to the wall-spot that Flora has vacated and presses his face to the wall to shout nonsense before running off after Flora. He has no idea what he's doing but loves playing the "shout at the wall game." It makes me laugh every time!

kids say....

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:44:00 +0000

Me: Timber, say "Mama."
Timber: DORA!
Me: Mama
Timber: DORA!
Me: MAMA!
Timber: DORA DORA DORA!

*****

Scout: Mommy, I don't know which way to go.
Me: (in sing-songy Dora voice because, yeah, I do that) Who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?
Timber: MAP!
--Flora, Scout, and I all turn to stare at him in surprise--
(only Dora-moms will understand)

*****

Me: Scout, do you need to go pee-pee?
Scout: No, I need to FLYYYYYY!

*****

Cute Flora-words that I don't bother correcting:
pattern = patterin
something = fumpin
level = langle

cinderelly cinderelly

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:27:00 +0000

I just sat at my computer and typed this conversation while it was unfolding. Typical pretend-play for them. And no, it wasn't my idea for them to sweep. Three- and four-year-olds aren't exactly productive sweepers!

Flora and Scout both have brooms and are vigorously cleaning the kitchen floor, cabinets, and walls.

Flora: Oh, I WISH we could go to the Ball. All we do is clean clean clean.
Scout: Yeah.
Flora: Playing Cinderella is fun!
Scout: Yeah! We just clean and clean.
Flora: Cinderella Scout, don't you want to go to the Ball?
Scout: I want to go to the park, Cinderella Flora.
Flora: We can't go until we do ALL our cleaning. Work work work! Cinderella Scout loves to dust and Cinderella Flora loves to sweep!
Me: Maybe it's time to go the Ball now!
Flora: No.....we still have a lot to clean up. We can't go to the Royal Ball until it's dark outside. Too bad we have to sweep.
Scout: Yeah....it's too bad. Hey -- let's sweep the toys!!!
Flora: Okay!
(sweep toys)
Scout: Flora! It's dark outside now!!
Flora: Good! We can go to the Ball now! Let's take our cleaning stuff because I heard there's a lot of things to clean at the Ball.
(they go sit in a box with their brooms -- their "car")
Flora: Oh, look! It's Max! (Max=Timber)
Scout: Max, you can't come to the Ball because you are too dusty.
Flora: Let's dust him off!
(they attack Timber with their brooms, which he absolutely LOVES)
Flora: Now we need to clean off our beds.
(they sweep two laundry baskets)
Scout: There. All clean.
(they each climb into a basket and curl up)
Flora: Goodnight, Cinderella Scout.
Scout: Goodnight, Cinderella Flora.

little miss bossy pants

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:19:00 +0000

Flora and Scout were playing firefighters. Scout ran into the room and said, "Mommy! There's a fire on you but I have the hose to spray the water on the fire!" Flora ran in behind him and said, "And I have the checklist to make sure he does everything right!"

And then a few days later we were all cleaning Flora and Scout's room. Scout volunteered to be the "book man" and pick up all the books. Flora volunteered to be "the person who makes sure everyone else is doing their work" and ran to get her notebook and pen.

football, etc...

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:17:00 +0000

We are Denver Broncos fans in this house and the kids really get into it. Every time football is on tv they ask if the Broncos are winning. During the Broncos first playoff game against the Steelers, Flora declared that she would hold up her Bronco bow (a blue and orange bow courtesy of Aunt Mel) every time the Broncos scored a point. And she did. With every score, Flora would solemnly raise her Bronco high -- kind of Statue of Liberty style -- while the rest of us danced and cheered. When the Broncos pulled off the overtime win the Borkert crowd went wild! We all did our Bronco dance and Timber was dancing longer than any of us! He obviously didn't know what prompted the spontaneous dance party but he wasn't going to let that stop him from boogie-ing!

Unfortunately, the kids had to go to bed early in the Broncos/Patriots game last night. When I went in later to check on them, Flora asked, "Did the Broncos win yet?" Sadly, I had to inform her that the Broncos were not going to win this game. "Bummer," she said. Yeah.....I agree. Today we are watching the Houston/Baltimore game. When I turned on the tv, Flora asked if it was the Broncos. I told her no and then informed her that it was the Texans and the Ravens. She gasped, put her hands to her cheeks in excitement, and said, "Mommy! I think I have a Texas swimsuit for this game!!" Lo and behold, she did! One of her Barbies has a University of Texas cheerleading outfit. Where did THAT come from??? We'll have to trash that when she's not looking.

Other stories:

**I told the kids they couldn't play outside on a really cold day. Determined to prove that she could dress appropriately for a chilly day outside, Flora informed me that she was going to put on "one thousand clothes and two panties." She didn't make it to "a thousand clothes" but she did manage to squeeze into twelve shirts!

**Our church recently celebrated it's 25th birthday. I told the kids that we were going to have a birthday party for the church and Flora said she was going to make a present for the church. She was gone for a minute and then came back to show me the imaginary present she had made. "It's a new stem!" she said. "A new stem with colors and lights that flash and it spins around!" Haha....awesome. I would love to see our church steeple replaced with her colorful, flashing, spinning "stem."

whirlwind bedtime

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:29:00 +0000

The kids had a rare late bedtime tonight. I'm usually pretty strict about them being in bed by 8pm but tonight we were visiting friends with a new baby so we got home a little after 9pm. My job was simple: pajamas, diapers for Scout and Timber, brush teeth, bedtime. To the inexperienced reader it may sound simple but I knew that wrangling three kids who were already on a sugar high and a I'm-so-tired-I'm-out-of-control-zany high was going to be tough. For further reading on bedtime wrangling, see this post.

We had a plan. Upon arriving home, I would change Timber's diaper and put him in pajamas while Flora and Scout went potty and put their pajamas on. Then I would put Timber to bed and help them brush their teeth before putting them to bed. On the drive home I went over the plan with Flora and Scout several times to make sure they knew their roles. They were enthusiastic and I was optimistic.

*cue dramatic, ominous music*

We pulled into the garage and I unbuckled Timber and grabbed our makeshift diaper bag (a gift bag) and my purse and told the big kids to hop out of the van. Flora pretended to be asleep and Scout climbed into the driver's seat. Lovely. After much cajoling and warning of the darkness that would engulf the garage once the overhead van light went off, they finally walked into the house. We had to stop and start several times on the way up the stairs because Scout had to jump twice on every stair and Flora was scared of the dark house. Timber and my bags were getting REALLY heavy.

We finally made it up the stairs and Scout and Flora each ran to a bathroom (hooray!). Just as I was about to change Timber, Scout needed me to help him with his shoes. Then Flora started crying hysterically from my room because the bathroom light was off (she's going through a scared-of-the-dark phase -- obviously). I took off Scout's shoes and plopped him on the potty then scrambled to my room to assist Flora. Just as I turned on the bathroom light for her, I heard Timber take a nasty fall in the hallway. I rushed to comfort him and Flora started crying hysterically again and I noticed that Scout was now off the potty and running around naked. This was NOT the plan.

So....new plan. I changed Timber in the bathroom with Flora so she would stop crying and go potty. Scout running around naked was low on my list of issues for a few minutes. It's not like it's the first time he's been naked. Eventually, all of the kids were dressed for bed! Hooray! I put Timber to bed (one down, two to go!) -- he always goes to bed so easily so that wasn't an issue at all (best part of my night probably!) -- then went to help Flora and Scout brush their teeth. Of course, 10 seconds into the teeth brushing Flora fell off her stool and hurt her bum. More hysterical crying. I have to say that, in my experience, girls are MUCH bigger cryers than boys are.

Brush, brush, brush -- then corral them and all their bedtime stuff into their room. Read a book and goodnight. WHEW!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that somewhere in this 30 minutes of chaos Scout and Timber EACH managed to eat soap. Two separate occasions. Soap that has been in that bathroom for months now. Why did they suddenly decide to put the soap in their MOUTHS tonight?? And not even in a get-into-trouble-together-because-we're-brothers-and-that's-what-boys-do sort of way but individually in a I-think-I-should-eat-soap sort of way.

And then to top it all off, Scout says that Jesus is poopy.
"No, he's not," I say.
"But Baby Jesus went poopy in his diaper," Scout replied.
I didn't have anything to say to that.
He was right.
(Grandma, I doubt your pastor uses this one in a sermon!!)

It was a crazy evening -- I'm dieting and by the time all three kids were finally in bed I was FRANTICALLY digging through my purse for the sugar cookie that the babysitter had sent home with me. "Frantically" might not even be a strong enough word there.....I'm pretty sure I could have fought off ten strong men for that cookie.

But now all is quiet and I'm happily blogging (and feeling surprisingly little remorse about that cookie) and looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow is FRIDAY and this Mommy gets Friday mornings OFF!

Goodnight kids -- hello sleeping in late and shopping!

today

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:10:00 +0000

There was nothing very special about today. Nothing to make this day stand out in my mind years from now. In fact, I'd guess that the entire contents of this day will be completely forgotten in less than a year's time. It just seems so sad to think that all of the laughs and growing up that took place today will vanish into the vault of time so soon.

I'm listening to piano music so of course I'm feeling nostalgic and sentimental. Is it even possible to listen to piano without a lump in your throat?? Not in my experience....

So I want to preserve a few little moments from the day. Because I don't want to forget how Scout put his pajamas on inside out and fell over from laughing so hard. Or Flora's intent expression as she make a perfect bed for Olga and tucked her in to sleep. I definitely don't want to forget the perfect kiss -- kissy noise and all -- that Timber planted on my cheek before bedtime. I want to remember Scout crawling into bed with me this morning and gently stroking my cheek when he thought I was asleep. And the BIG hug Flora gave me tonight -- her perfectly pudgy little arms wrapped tight around my neck. I don't want to forget the way Timber ran and threw himself into my arms when I sat in the hallway and held my arms out to him. I want to remember that I had the opportunity to carry all three of my babies at some point today.

There were a lot of not-so-lovely moments today too......a LOT. But I don't mind forgetting those.

better than swan lake

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:49:00 +0000

I walked by Flora and Scout's room one night after they had gone to bed. They always play for a while before they fall asleep and I've always wished I had a hidden camera in their room to catch their silliness. On this particular night I overheard Flora tell Scout that she wanted to do more ballet. "C'mon, Scout, let's do our ballet again!" Well, THIS I had to see! I opened their door and found them both down to their underwear on Scout's queen-size bed. Scout stood behind Flora holding her by the waist while she hopped around on one foot with her little hands flourishing. I'm not sure if this is funny to read but it was hilarious to watch. It still would have been funny if they were clothed but the fact that they were both in their underwear with their pudgy little bellies and Scout's little bird legs really made it great.

it wasn't great, but....

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:56:00 +0000

UPDATE: Scout, Timber, and I all got the stomach bug too. In retrospect, it DID suck. The timing couldn't have been better though. We were able to stay home all week without missing any Christmas festivities.

Top Ten Reasons Why Flora Having the Stomach Flu Didn't Suck:

10. We probably saved a little bit of grocery money this week since she didn't eat anything for two days.
9. The lack of food thinned out her face just a tad -- making her eyes look especially HUGE.
8. No food = no poo-poos for to wipe.
7. She was too weak and sick to use her whiney voice.
6. Puke is gross so I may have lost a pound or two this week too. Who wants to eat when there's a good chance you'll be cleaning up puke in the near future?
5. Flora was super cuddly and a Mommy's girl while she was sick.
4. She watched tv on the couch ALL DAY and I didn't feel one ounce of guilt or shame. You're SUPPOSED to veg and watch tv when you're sick, right???
3. I've been looking for a good excuse to clean and disinfect the entire house! (*sarcasm*)
2. Flora actually napped during the two days that she was sick. That's a rare occurrence these days.
1. PAJAMA DAYS!! Flora, Scout, and Timber have been in the same clothes (pajamas) for the past two and a half days. Maybe I've been too.....no, I haven't. This sickness has drastically reduced our dirty laundry -- I might declare Monday through Wednesday pajama days every week!

nothing they say surprises me anymore

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:39:00 +0000

Some funny and just plain weird stories:

I was explaining to Flora and Scout why they shouldn't play with the outlets. I talked about electricity and how it would shock them and feel like a big poke (what they call a shot). So when I was done with my lecture, Flora nodded and nonchalantly said, "It's too bad we can't just put some poop in it" as she walked away. Baffled, I asked for clarification but didn't understand her response any more after she'd explained it. "Yeah," she said, "it would be better if we could just put some poop in it and it wouldn't hurt us." I'm still confused about this.....

The kids video chat with Chris' parents a lot on his iPad using Facetime (like Skype). Today I was watching a youtube video about the Denver Broncos. Scout walked up to the computer just as they were interviewing Tim Tebow and watched for a minute before waving and saying, "Hi!" to Tebow. A few seconds passed and then Scout leaned over to me and whispered, "Why isn't he saying hi to me?" Haha.....apparently he thought we were chatting.

And in related news, every time I watch a Broncos game or read Broncos news I start calling Timber "Tebow." It's the T and the middle B that confuse me, I think. Timber blows his nose now! It's the cutest thing -- I need to try to get it on video. He'll put the tissue up to his nose and blow air out of his nose. Then he runs the tissue to me with a big smile and claps enthusiastically for himself after I take it from him. Seriously.the.cutest.thing.EVER.

A funny story that is not kid-related -- We have a light-sensitive timer for our outdoor Christmas lights that is supposed to kick on at dusk and off at dawn. Totally cracked me up to come home the first night our lights were up to the lights blinking on and off. Apparently our timer was placed too close to the lights themselves so they kicked ON and then the light they produced prompted the timer to turn OFF which then caused them to turn back ON and so forth.

Scout wanted to ask me a secret today. I leaned over and he whispered, "Do you like panties?" in my ear. "Uh, well, I like to wear panties," I answered. Then he wanted to ask another secret. "Mommy, are you wearing panties?" he whispered. Seriously? Haha.....I can totally embarrass him with this story someday!

And a final funny story -- Chris just walked by and read over my shoulder briefly. He saw the word "Tebow" and asked why I was writing such a long blog about Tim Tebow. Then I got the giggles thinking about how funny that would be for me to write a whole post on Tim Tebow. Chris egged me on by providing some opening sentences like, "I'd like to share about someone very special in my life right now....." etc.

Hm....this was probably a "you had to be here" moment. It doesn't really translate well to text. And now it appears that I have written most of this post about Tim Tebow. Oh well. Woohoo! Go Broncos!

fifteen minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:21:00 +0000

Tonight after I put the kids to bed I set the timer and lay down on the living room floor and accepted myself. For fifteen minutes my house was clean enough, my kids didn't watch too much tv, I was crafty, and I wasn't a pound over my ideal weight. I probably had perfect hair too. No tv, no computer, no phone, and no music.
Even when the kids are sleeping -- especially when the kids are sleeping -- I never stop to be. There's too much to DO to just BE. Every spare moment is filled with things I need to do or things I want to do or things I should do. Or things I don't need to do or want to do or should do but that someone has asked me to do.
And so for fifteen minutes tonight, I stopped to be.

I thought about our house. I wondered how many families had lived under our roof. What joys and sorrow had these walls witnessed? Surely we were one of the lucky ones. Life is pretty easy for us.

I thought about how sad it will be to leave this house someday. All of our kids were brought home from the hospital to this house. They have colored the walls with giggles, wonder, and, well, crayons.

I thought about Christmas and family and how thankful I am that my idea of home isn't linked to a specific house but to the warm feeling I get when I'm with my awesome family. I thought about how these are really the best years of our lives.

I thought about Lois. I humbly realized how blessed I am to have these fifteen minutes and wondered how she would have spent them. I thought about all the conversations we had at the library when I was pregnant with Scout. She asked so many questions about what it was like to be pregnant. I never thought to warn her that being pregnant could take her life. I cried a little. I started humming the tune to "The Sharp Knife of a Short Life."

I thought about God's faithfulness. I tried to find an adjective to put before faithfulness and couldn't think of anything that could really describe the extent of His faithfulness to my family. I thought about His awesome, humbling Grace and His loving Wisdom. I wondered how Jesus would have mothered three small children. I decided his house always would have been clean....but then I decided maybe not. I thought about Heaven and how nice it will be to live in God's house.

I thought about the popcorn ceiling. A lot. It's not ideal but I really don't think they're as bad as people make them out to be. It's kind of like hair on the head of our room. A buzz cut maybe.

I thought about how I wanted to blog more often and decided I would blog about my fifteen minutes. I wanted to jump up and start writing right away but I forced myself to stay on the floor until the timer beeps.

I thought about each of my kids and how awesome they all are. Flora, Scout, and Timber all have their little quirks, both good and bad. I'm so thankful that I get to be the Mommy who knows each of those quirks by heart.

And then I heard the timer beep and I thought, "What am I baking?"

deep thoughts with scout borkert

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:10:00 +0000

Scout: Why do we give each other hugs before bed?
Shane: Because we love each other.
Scout: That's right! Because Jesus fixed us!

****

Mommy: Scout, what do you want to thank God for?
Scout: The truth.

****

Scout: Mommy, I'm at work.
Mommy: Ok, what are you doing at work today?
Scout: I'm at the church fixing the people that are broken.

****

Haha.....I don't know where he gets this stuff!! I don't recall ever telling him any of those things or even using those phrases around him. I certainly don't tell him that Daddy is fixing broken people at work....silly kid.

I'm flyyyyyyyyying!

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:21:00 +0000

Hey, I've got a great idea! Let's pack a whole bunch of people into a skinny metal tube with a pointed end and hurl it javelin-style across the country. Or across the world. Shoot, we'll hurl it anywhere the group of people collectively decide to go (as long as they pay us for the ride).

Seriously, air travel is absolutely amazing and completely insane. It was ludicrous for man to dream he could fly and ridiculous that he actually accomplished that dream. Flying -- FLYING -- is now a mundane event for many people. We say things like, "Oh, I'm FLYING to Dallas tomorrow" and fail to grasp what an astounding feat we are describing. That we are able to soar over cities and mountains and rivers and farmlands boggles my mind. We peacefully float over a picturesque world as we are transported from one place to another. Is this a dream?? Have you ever dreamed you could fly? Not like "I Have A Dream" dreaming, but a real dream where you are really able to fly? Flying dreams are so cool. I haven't had many but I remember two flying dreams very vividly -- it was awesome to fly.

Today I flew for the 9th and 10th times and my face was plastered to the window the entire time. It's a good thing we had to change flights and switch which side of the plane we were sitting on, otherwise I would have ended up with a serious pain in my neck. I don't seek out opportunities to fly and I'm never excited about upcoming air travel but once I'm actually in the airplane I'm totally a fan. Take-off is my favorite. It's such a rush! You zoom, zoom, zoom faster and faster and then you're up, up, up and away! I have a goofy grin on my face during take-off. Watching the houses turn into neighborhoods, then cities, and then disappear under a blanket of clouds feels more like a dream than reality.....

Speaking of clouds -- I have to give major props to our pilots today. When we landed in Dallas the fog was so thick that I only saw the runway seconds before we landed on it. I thought we were in a cloud and would soon drop out over the city before landing, but no. I said, "Oh! That's the runway!" and then our wheels were touching down. Of course, they probably had a better view from the cockpit but I was still impressed that pilots with all their technology can basically land a plane blindfolded. I'm glad I didn't know how foggy it was -- I probably would have been nervous. As it was, I only had about two seconds to be nervous about landing in such foggy conditions.

I could go on......but I won't. I'll simply summarize by stating that I am completely in awe of air travel. And acapella. Have you watched The Sing-Off???? These people make MUSIC with their VOICES. Drums, guitars, cellos, violins, crickets (yep, there were cricket noises on tonight's show) -- blows my mind!! People are so talented! Hm.....must have been a very creative Creator to create such creative creators. Just sayin'.

I'll stop now. Silly rambling blog post. The kids are with my parents all week so I don't have my usual material to work with. Today's blog was brought to you by the letter A -- air travel and acapella. We'll see what tomorrow b-b-brings.

Ok, now I'll really stop.

today and yesterday and a few days ago

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:44:00 +0000

So the kids and I ran some errands this morning. First of all, let me say that it could have gone a LOT worse. All three kiddos were in good moods and that makes a HUGE difference. First we went to Babies R Us. Timber rode in the cart while Scout and Flora walked. They didn't have what I was looking for but we stayed for a while to look at the toys. Flora was very good about staying with me but Scout would get caught up in "toy mode" and not keep up with us or disappear around a corner. Once I caught sight of him dashing around a lady in the center aisle saying, "I have to go this way to my Mommy!" He was all the way in the back of the store before I finally caught up to him. Two ladies were asking him where his mommy was -- haha -- uh, that would be me. So then we left (but not before we rode the coin operated car in the entry) but when we got to the car Scout realized that he had left his sunglasses inside. Awesome. Turn our little caravan around and head back inside. Flora and I searched the toy aisles for Scout's glasses while he continued to get distracted by the toys. Eventually we found them in the book aisle wedged in between Goodnight Moon and Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.

So then we left again and headed to Hobby Lobby. I remembered Hobby Lobby's carts were very small but in my mind they were still big enough for all three of my kids to ride. Not exactly. I put the two most destructive Borkerts (Scout and Timber) in the cart while Flora obediently walked next to the cart and didn't touch anything. I don't know how many times I repeated, "Don't touch ANYTHING" while we were in there but it worked. We got in, found what we needed, and got out with no broken glass or toppled displays. Whew! Target was our last stop. I had purchased some chocolate covered pretzels at Hobby Lobby to ward off any hungry monsters so I was planning on a trouble-free trip. We went inside and I had Timber and Flora buckled into a big cart before realizing one of Scout's buckles was broken, SO we switched everyone over to a different cart. Then we went to the photo area to get some pictures printed and I discovered that I had left my camera in the van. We turned our semi-truck/limo cart around and headed back out to the car to get my camera. Thankfully the rest of our Target shopping went smoothly and we got home just in time for lunch and naps. And I'm exhausted. Remember what it was like to run errands without kids? It was so simple.....but not as much fun!

Okay.....some other stories ---

I had to take Flora and Timber with me to get Scout's flu shot. He bravely got his shot with no tears whatsoever. Flora kept bragging on how brave he was. She got her flu shot a couple weeks later....it was a totally different scenario. She screamed and thrashed on the table before the nurse was able to give her the shot and wailed afterward. I know I probably seemed like Bad Mommy but I couldn't help laughing at her theatrics. I didn't tell Scout that Flora had cried because I thought she would be embarrassed and she didn't mention it to him when we got home either.
Today (three days later) we drove past our doctor's office and Flora said, "Hey! That's the doctor's office where I got my poke!" with a smile that slowly faded as she seemed to be remembering the ordeal (Poke = Shot). Then she made the following confession to Scout in hushed tones:
Flora: Scout.....
Scout: What?
Flora: I cried when I got my poke.
Scout: Oh....was it a big poke?
Flora: No.....just a little poke but I still cried. But YOU didn't cry when you got your poke. You were so brave.
Scout: Oh....yeah.
I don't know why but I just thought this little conversation was SO cute! She was confessing that she had cried but was still proud of Scout for not crying. They are just TOO adorable!!

And one more story of how sweet they can be to each other. Yesterday morning Scout said, "Flora, we can watch your princess show if you want." And Flora replied, "No, I think I want to watch the Stuck Truck Dora show." (Scout's favorite). Granted, this was a rare occurrence (thus earning a spot on the blog) -- most mornings consist of them fighting over which show to watch and me ultimately picking the show because they can't agree. Yes, that's right, we start each morning with a tv show. I really need that half hour or so to finish waking up.....

Now a funny story -- the kids were playing in Flora and Scout's room yesterday while I was busy setting my fantasy football lineup. When I finished I went to see what they were doing (it sure SOUNDED like a good time!!). I entered the room to find Scout in his underwear, Flora in a swimsuit, and both of them wearing snow boots -- "Superhero Boots" according to them. Flora's not mad in the pic on the right....this is her Superhero pose!

my kind of prince

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:33:00 +0000

Flora and Scout were princesses tonight. They dressed up in their fancy princess dresses and sunglasses (because apparently it's very sunny at The Ball) and packed lunches in their pumpkin trick-or-treat buckets (because apparently The Ball is not providing hors d'oeuvres). Timber is trying to escape the whole princess scene. He doesn't get it yet.

Flora was in a hurry to get to The Ball. "Hurry, Mommy," she said, "I have to get to The Ball to meet the prince!"
Curious, I asked, "Why do you want to meet the prince?"
"Becaaaaase," she very patiently explained to me, "princesses NEED princes."

"Well," I pried, "WHY do you need a prince, Princess Flora?"
I was very happy when she replied, "Because I can't make my OWN dinner!"
That's my girl!

yeah....maybe

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:56:00 +0000

Our tv remote (the 'mote) is missing. We've searched everywhere for it (well, everywhere except the place it is, obviously). Flora and Scout came up with some creative ideas about where the remote might be while we were searching:

Flora: "Maybe it had to go potty and it fell in the toilet."

Scout: "Maybe the 'mote monster took it!"

Flora: "Maybe it saw a squirrel and ran outside to chase it and it got lost."

Scout: "Maybe I'M the 'mote!"

Hmmmm.......yeah, maybe.......

facing the giants

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:14:00 +0000

Setting the scene: Flora and Scout are sitting at the table. Flora is "writing a story" -- meaning she is drawing pictures and making up a story out-loud to go with the pictures.

Flora: [telling her story] One day, Flora walked outside and a beautiful butterfly landed on her shoulder. She went for a walk with the butterfly and the butterfly TALKED to her.
Scout: And then came the giant! FEE FIE FO FUM!

Flora: NO, SCOUT! There are no giants in this story because giants are pretend and this story is real. [continuing her story] And the butterfly talked to Flora and they went on a walk all by themselves with no parents.

Scout: And then came the giant! FEE FIE FO FUM!

Flora: NO, SCOUT! This is my story and there are no giants in my story. Just butterflies.
Scout: FEE FIE FO FUM!
Flora: NO, SCOUT! [continuing her story] So they walked all by themselves and the butterfly talked to Flora and then they came home and they were best friends.
Scout: And then came the giant.
Flora: [sigh] Yes, Scout, and then came the giant.
Scout: FEE FIE FO FUM!

roadkill, panoramic views, and pancakes.....my first 5k

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:52:00 +0000

Yea me! Ok, I know that people run these things all the time and I also know that half of my friends do marathons or 15k runs or Warrior Dash events, but for ME a 5k was a big deal. And it's my blog so I'm going to commemorate my very first 5k by dedicating a whole post to my "5k day." That's right -- the rest of this post is about me running 3.2 miles. If that doesn't sound exciting then you are welcome to stop reading right now. But there will be pancakes at the end....

My alarm went off at 7am (race starts at 8am about 15-20 minutes away). Perhaps I should have woken up earlier but I thought that being half-asleep when the run began might actually be an advantage for me. The first thing I thought when I woke up was, "Huh," (I said that part out loud) "I was hoping I would feel more like running when my alarm went off." I've never been a morning runner (it used to make me sick to my stomach) but, golly, it's hard to find a 5k event in the afternoon or evening. Also, I had a crick in my neck when I woke up. I took that to be a bad omen.

I quickly got dressed, ate half a banana muffin, drank some water, and googled directions to the race. Then I told Chris to wish me luck and keep his phone on in case I passed out or something and headed out the door. On the way, I decided that I would put no pressure on myself. I ran 5k on the treadmill back in April but I haven't run that far since then. I get so bored on the treadmill though..... Anyway, I was basically only running this 5k to check it off my 30x30 list and I had already determined that running 5k on the treadmill in April plus running/walking a REAL 5k in September would be enough to allow me to check it off my list.

So anyway, I got lost but eventually made it to the registration area and started my trek up a huge hill toward the starting line. I guess I'm thankful that running up that huge hill wasn't part of the 5k but, WOW, that was a pretty intense warm-up! I had about 5 minutes to mill around at the starting line making small talk with people that I didn't know and didn't plan to ever see again (always weird) before they blew the horn.

As the race began I was happily running with a large crowd of people thinking, "If I keep up this pace I'll be finished in no time!" and then realizing, "Um, Stefanie, there's no chance that you can keep up this pace -- SLOW DOWN!" So as hard as it was to let people pass me when I had so much energy, I slowed down. Good thing I did! About two minutes into running my legs started to burn and feel completely spent. I know what this is -- it happens every time I'm on the treadmill too. I always tell myself that if I can make it through the first five minutes then I can basically run forever. Not really forever....but basically. But this time the feeling really scared me because the huge hill HAD already worn me out some and I almost panicked thinking, "I can't stop running NOW! I've only been running for TWO MINUTES!" And that's when I found my running buddy.

At first it was awkward. I ran behind her for a while, decided I liked her pace, and thought I would just follow her for as long as I could keep up. I'm certain she could hear me and wondered who was 5k stalking her but I didn't really care. Eventually we ended up running side-by-side but not really acknowledging it. Still awkward. But finally roadkill brought us together. Seriously......it's a 1.5 mile stretch of road -- couldn't someone have cleaned up the dead animal carcasses before the race??? Ugh. Gross. I should have added one more entry to my 30x30 list: "Run 5k -- CHECK. Jump over dead raccoon bits -- CHECK." My running buddy and I exchanged words about how disgusting it was thus breaking the ice and taking our relationship to the next level.

We ran the entire 5k together. She was 45-years-old and had just moved here from Louisiana. Her daughter was joining the Air Force soon and she was helping her train for it by running 5ks with her. She was a first grade teacher and knew tons of the other runners because of her involvement in the community. I'm pretty sure she's the reason I was able to run the whole thing. And God too -- I was doing a lot of praying before and after this 5k! He's probably the one who sent her to me. My very own running angel. Okay......this is getting weird.

ANYWAY, we ran along the Smithville Lake Dam so the views were spectacular.

There were two uphill sections but it was mostly very flat. And the end was DOWN that huge hill that I had to walk up to get to the starting line. FABulous! Every 5k should end downhill. My time was 37:30 -- not spectacular but I was expecting to do it in 50 minutes so I was pleasantly surprised to see the time at the finish line.

And yes, I was a dork and took a picture of myself at the finish line. Not pretty, but you know what they say, "If you look pretty after exercising then you didn't do it right."

And yes, there were pancakes at the end! All-you-can-eat pancakes! So basically any calories that I burned running in the 5k were immediately replaced with the pancakes. Hopefully I broke even.

And then I hurried home to shower and get ready for church. Chris had gotten the kids up and taken them to church so I could go do the 5k. He did a pretty decent job. Flora's hair was a ratty mess and her shirt was on backward and Timber wasn't wearing shoes but overall I'll give him a solid B. I was just thankful that he was willing to do that for me. I have an awesome husband!

When I saw Flora and Scout at church they asked me if I won my race. I told them, "YES! I did!" Then Flora asked, "How did you get all the other people to stop running?" She was onto me.

Oh well....I still think I won. Yea me!

i'll tie it -- you stick it

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:58:00 +0000

Scout and Chris toured the GM plant during an open house thing they did this week. After seeing all the cars being built, they got to see one of the very first 2013 Malibus in the showroom. Scout asked, "We get to take that one home??"

*****

Scout: Can I paint the walls too?
Me: No, this paint is only for grown-ups.
Scout: I'm not a grown-up.....
Me: Nope. What are you?
Scout: A little grown-up!

*****

(overheard)
Scout: Those are pretty shoes, Flora.
Flora: Thanks. These are my heels.
Scout: Oh. They're pretty.......can I wear your heels, Flora?
Flora: No, silly, boys don't wear heels.
Scout: Why?
Flora: Because.
Scout: Why because?
Flora: Because because.
Scout: Why because because?
Flora: Because because BECAUSE!
(a few minutes later Scout walked into the kitchen wearing Flora's heels)

*****

Setting the scene: Flora and Scout are playing outside. Flora has a jump rope and Scout has a big stick. I'm spying from the kitchen window. Imagine Flora with both fists on her waist during this entire conversation.

Flora: Scout, we should be superheroes!
Scout: Okay.
Flora: I have the power to tie things and you have the power to stick things. We will help things that aren't working right.
Scout: Okay.
Flora: Superhero Flora and Superhero Scout to the rescue!!
Scout: Okay!
(and they both run off into the yard to save something that "isn't working")

*****

Flora has been asking what things mean lately. She stumped me by asking what "mean" means. I asked for clarification, "You mean when people are mean to other people?" "No," she said, "I mean when I ask what things mean what does mean mean?" Um.....???

*****

We saw some kind of exotic deer on our most recent trip to the zoo. I don't remember what they were but they looked like whitetail deer only shorter and stockier. As soon as Flora saw them she asked, "Are these the deer that Daddy eats?"

*****

Timber is 1-year-old now!!! He had a fun birthday. He opened presents first thing in the morning (Scout knew what he was getting and couldn't wait to play with Timber's new helicopter). Then Timber and I went to Baby Storytime at the library. There were bubbles and fun songs and toys -- fun! After a trip to the park, we all went home for lunch and naps. Timber got his yummy, messy birthday cupcake after dinner. All-in-all a good birthday for Mr. Timberific!

blog FAIL

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 05:49:00 +0000

Almost a MONTH since I last posted???? Yikes! I should write something! I'll try to get to it tomorrow -- lots of pics of Timber's 1st birthday to post!

walking

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:16:00 +0000

I took the kids on a walk tonight through the neighborhood. Timber was in the little umbrella stroller and Flora and Scout were walking. They are good walkers. They stay near me and are very good about holding onto the stroller handles when a car passes by. I like walking with them. *smiley face*

We walked past a house that had Apple-Bottom Jeans blaring from the garage. (If you don't know the song, just imagine a pop-ish/rap-ish/club-ish song.) When Flora heard the music she totally started breaking it down right there on the sidewalk! She was movin' and groovin' her little bum and waving her hands around! It was really pretty hilarious! And she acted like she wasn't doing anything unusual. I don't even know where she learned those moves!

I don't know how many cars and trucks we passed on our walk but Scout didn't comment on any of them.....until we walked past an old maroon Buick LeSabre with peeling paint. "Oh, wow, Mommy," Scout said, "that's a cool car." "I like that car, Mommy. That car is very, very cool." Puzzled, I asked him why that car was so cool. "Because," he said, "it has a K on the back." Ah yes, a K can even make a Buick cool in Scout's eyes.

have you had your junior frosty today?

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 22:36:00 +0000

Flora: Does ice cream come from milk?
Me: Yep! It does.
Flora: Pink ice cream comes from pink milk and chocolate ice cream comes from chocolate milk.
Scout: Yellow ice cream comes from lemonade and blue ice cream comes from......sky???
Flora: No, Scout, ice cream doesn't come from sky. Every different color cow makes different color milk so blue ice cream comes from blue milk from a blue cow.

Can't argue with the logic of either one! And they say all the really deep conversations take place over coffee. Pshaw!

i'm sad.....but i've still got funny stories

noreply@blogger.com (Stefanie) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:43:00 +0000

I'm feeling melancholy tonight because I just watched the series finale of a great show on Netflix. I'm not going to tell you which show.....it's embarrassing......but it was SO GOOD! Some of you might think you know what show I'm talking about but, trust me, you don't. No one knows I watch this show. Except Chris.....but he's not telling.

But you know how it is when a favorite show ends. I feel like I have walked through so much with these people.....I've watched them grow up......they've entertained me through MANY of the nights that Chris doesn't get home until after 10pm.....and so I'm a little bit sad. I know it's pathetic -- seriously, I KNOW it is -- but there ya go. I'm pathetic. And a little bit sad.

So now we're all sad. But good news!!! I have a funny story to cheer us all up!! A few days ago, Scout was pretending to be "Mommy" to his squirrel. It's pointless to suggest he be the "Daddy" instead -- if he wants to be the Mommy he's going to be the Mommy. Whatever. So anyway, he comes into the kitchen and tells me that he is the squirrel's Mommy and he is going to feed it now. I had a pretty good idea of how he is going to "feed" his squirrel and, sure enough, when I walked into the living room he was sitting on the couch holding his squirrel in a classic breastfeeding position. Smirking, I walked back into the kitchen and told Chris to go look at his son. Chris walks into the living room, sees what Scout is doing, and nonchalantly says, "Scout, you have to lift your shirt up for the squirrel to be able to eat" and walks back into the kitchen. Ah, I thought I was going to get him good but he totally turned it around on me!

And one more story that I just remembered.....
Flora likes to rhyme things these days. She's always coming up with things that rhyme and every time it's like she's discovered gold. She's pretty good at rhyming now but every once in a while she gets stumped. Today she decided to make a rhyme with Timber's name. She walked around the house muttering to herself, "Timber shower? Timber tree? Timber water? Water Timber?" She went on and on but I couldn't hear most of what she was saying. It was funny to hear the things she was trying to rhyme with Timber! Eventually she had to ask for help and we decided that Timber could rhyme with 'member (as in remember). 'Member Timber? :-)